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| Traditional Kuttanad fishing method - casting the net! |
Kuttanad, also known as the rice bowl of Kerala, is a badly floodhit space in the backwaters of Kerala and this is the place where I have my family home too. Floods indeed are not at all new to Kuttanad, which is 2.2 meters below sea level and that is exactly why it is called the backwaters. Kuttanad has to bear the discharge from rivers like Pampa, Achankovil, Manimala, Meenachil and Muvattupuzha before they end up in the sea through a man-made bund and a spillway. But this monsoon, the heavy rains in the northern/eastern part of the state and increased flow in the rivers and to top it all, the poor discharge through the two regulators, Thaneermukkam bund and Thottappally spillway has resulted in the floodwater staying in the region, longer. Internal sources inform that there was a non clearance of the sand at the mouth of the spillway pending a dispute regarding ownership of sand between contractor and government. Petty things sometimes costs the residents so very big. Sad.
Our entire family of about 40 members stay in the Kuttanad area and the water has been inside our ancestral home for almost a week and a half. "I have never seen such deluge in my entire life" exclaims my mother aged 74. This is the second one this time, which is the case normally. Our house, built around 70 years back by my grandfather does not have brick and mortar but lime and hill rock (chenkallu). Don't really know how the water will fare with the building when it recedes. The old lady had to move to one of her cousin's place, which is a newly built double storey house, for almost a week. It is estimated that over 2 lakh people were flushed out of their houses in the area.
It was just the day before yesterday that she moved back from her cousin's place to our ancestral home. "It's 6 inches of mud and slime in our house and it will take at least a week for me to clean the mess up with help from from the neighbours" said mom. "Everything is lost in terms of household - furniture, appliances and what not but we might be able to somehow manage to get things up back on trail, but what about the poor?" she questions.
My uncle (mom's brother, mamaji) , who stays nearby had over two meters of water and the first floor of his house too was not spared forcing the entire family to move out to higher places said, "While flood-hit people elsewhere in Kerala might have begun to pick up the pieces, the residents of Kuttanad are still taking refuge in the mainlands of Alappuzha and Changanassery in Kottayam district, and in camps since August 15". "At best what we do is to paddle out on our tiny country craft (kodumbu vallam) to villages alongside the enormous paddy fields filled with water to check whether our houses have survived the flood" he adds, shaking his head in despair.
“Water would flood our paddy fields and even reach the first few steps to our house but never has it submerged us like this. In the first bout of flood last month, many lost their entire cultivation.” said Mom with sadness written all over her face. Official data informs that paddy cultivation spread over 8,500 hectares has perished, as has 80 per cent of the livestock. There is no power supply in Kuttanad even till today and is expected not to come for another week or even more. All transformers are in flood water, as are hundreds of pump sets (motor thara) that drain the fields for cultivation.
Most houses in Kerala especially in Kuttanad has septic tanks and the public now fear the outbreak of epidemics not to mention the decay of carcasses of domesticated animals. Many amongst the lower strata of the society have lost their livelihood to the flood and see a bleak future staring them right in their face and this is where our help is expected to provide some solace. Identifying and getting the support to the people who have not yet been reached by the government agencies and the NGOs.
If you feel encouraged to donate, please proceed go ahead and send your contributions to:
Account name : St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Church Youth League
Account no : 13730100018594
IFSC CODE: FDRL0001373
Bank : Federal bank limited, Sector 8, Chandigarh
Swift Code for foreign donations : FDRLINBBCGH
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