THOOTHUKUDI: Punnakayal, located on the edge of Thamirabarani river where it meets Bay of Bengal, continues to be in the dark even after six days as power still has not been restored to the village. As Thamirabarani was in spate, the fishing hamlet, situated on the south bank of the river, got inundated and turned it into an island.
Punnakayal is a historic village with a population of over 20,000. On the fateful day, the village witnessed flooding in the morning. The only road linking the village with Vadakku Authoor broke at two places, disconnecting it from the mainland. Subsequently, the power supply was also disconnected.
As the village submerged under 10 feet of water, residents moved to churches and marriage halls, where they arranged food from nearby coastal villages of Tiruchendur and Veerapandianpattinam, through boats.
Over 30 fishermen removed the sand bar from the seashore as early as 6am on Monday when the water level was rising, which ensured the floodwater receded into the sea.
Fishermen complained that none of the politicians visited the village during the havoc. They visited only after the road damages were rectified on Friday, five days after the flood.Baspel, a fisherman, complained that the panchayat body did not alert the public when the water level was rising. It was the fishermen who noticed it and informed the public.
Raviston, another fisherman, told TNIE that the flood had eroded one of the groynes in the north. The flood had also sunken a number of country craft boats and small wooden boats, and damaged many. Some of the boats overboarded on the beaches. Besides, several bundles of fishnets were washed away, he added.
Sahayaraj, another fisherman, said the loss of fishnet alone may total to Rs 5 crore, however, the loss of boats could not be estimated as of now.
Overwhelmed villagers said that they may not be able to recover from such a huge loss anytime soon. Maria, a resident, said that her asbestos-roofed house located on the fringes of the river was totally submerged.