THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : A deafening silence seems to have eaten up the shores of Puthiyathura. The now-calm sea smirks at the blues it has brought down on the residents there. They live on in the unpleasant familiarity awaiting temporary normalcy. The alleys along the clusters of tightly packed houses are inundated, carrying the remnants of their misery.
The swell waves crashed onto Pulluvila, Adimalathura, Puthiyathura, Ponnthura, Thumba on Sunday, almost as an end of an ominous beginning. The miseries of the people living in the coastal areas don’t end with the sea swell and surges. Not only does the sea sweep away their belongings, but also takes a toll on their health. With lack of water, food, medicine and shelter, the post sea-swell life of Puthiyathura residents hollers of detrimental torment.
The houses that were left scathed by the sea fury are now mere puddles of dirt. Immersing her legs in the dirty water, sits Nirmala John, a 58-year old lamenting about her hens that were also washed away when the sea lashed her house down. With garbage floating before her house, she says, “We will have to clean all of this mess by ourselves, once the water dries up. Till then, this water remains our curse.”
About 29 families have moved to community halls and camps. Some like Francina are still stuck at their houses. The 59-year-old cancer patient, stares at the cracked ceiling of her house wondering when it will fall. Francina literally lives in a concrete island. With water surrounding four sides of her house, she is unable to access even the public toilet.
“Drainage system is a wreck, the wash down toilet brings up more dirt,” said Francina. After the sea surge, the drainage system has got blocked, making it even more difficult for people to use toilet facilities. Though majority of houses have toilet facilities, they overflow and bring up more trash. “I haven’t had anything since morning. I drink water and stay here. If I were a man, I could at least go to the sea, I can’t walk even such a short distance to use the public toilet,” laments Francina.
Residents are forced to manoeuvre through the stinking flooded water to access food from the panchayat and go to public toilets. On one side when people are getting over the damage brought by the sea surge, there awaits a post water phase with skin diseases and other difficulties.
“The floodwater is a breeding tank of mosquitoes. Moreover, there would be snakes once the water dries up. Cleaning the mess is another major task in front of us,”said Nicholas, a resident of Puthiyathura.
A clean-up drive has been initiated by the government. Once the water dries up, cleaning processes will start. “Due to model code of conduct, officials are not allowed to attend meetings by the government in connection with the clean-up drive. The church officials and others are called for the meeting. So, we would not be able to represent the people and will not have a say in the drive initiated by them,” said Frida Simon, panchayat president.