KOTTAYAM: Two days after a series of landslides hit the high-range areas of Kottayam, the district administration started assessing the severity of the damage on Monday. Apart from claiming the lives of 13 persons, flood and landslides have caused widespread destruction in the district.
As per the preliminary assessment, 62 houses were fully destroyed and 161 partially damaged in landslides and due to flooding of Manimala and Meenachil rivers. Kanjirappally bore the brunt as all 62 houses that were destroyed completely belonged to the taluk. As many as 143 houses in the taluk were partially damaged. While 16 houses suffered partial damage in Meenachil taluk, two houses in Changanassery taluk were destroyed partially.
Most of the fully destroyed houses were on the banks of Pullakayar and Meenachil river. As both rivers breached their banks and water rose to unexpected levels, houses in Koottikkal, Mundakkayam and Manimala panchayats either collapsed or suffered partial damage.
Fortunately, no human casualty was reported as flood occurred during daytime. “The impact could have been huge had it happened at night. Though we couldn’t take anything from our houses, we could save our lives as the water level started rising by noon,” said Anto, a native of Mundakkayam. According to Principal Agriculture Officer Beena George, the district suffered a cumulative loss of `18.02 crore in the past three days alone.
Agri, dairy sectors suffer; Vaikom bears the brunt
Crops in around 1,118.75 hectares were destroyed in Erattupetta, Kaduthuruthy, Pala, Pampady, Vaikom and Vazhoor blocks, causing losses to 3,969 farmers. Vaikom block was the worst hit, where crops in 1,054.66 hectares of 2,800 farmers were destroyed.
While crop loss has been reported in 22.80 ha in Pampady, 21.24 ha in Erattupetta and 17.60 ha in Vazhoor, damage to crops was reported only in one hectare in Kaduthuruthy and 1.45 hectares in Pala.
The rain and flood have also caused a loss of Rs 18 lakh to the dairy sector in the district. According to Dairy Development Department deputy director Sylvie Mathew, it was only the preliminary calculation. “Kanjirappally, Erattupetta and Ettumanoor blocks suffered most loss.
Nine cattle sheds were completely destroyed and 11 partially destroyed. Apart from the death of two cows, 100 sacks of fodder and 1,000kg of straw were destroyed. A four-and-a-halfacre fodder orchard was submerged,” she said.