As incessant rain continues to lash Ernakulam, the residents of Chellanam, a village located on the southern coastal tip off the district, are set to return to the protest path.
The villagers, who have been reeling under sea erosion since the onset of the monsoon, have warned of resuming their protest, with no end to the plight of people living along the stretches where seawalls have been breached.
According to them, the authorities have once again missed the deadline set at a consultation meeting involving the District Collector for commencing work on a full scale.
“They [authorities] agreed to begin the construction of geo-tube walls by the first week of June, though there appeared no possibility of the work getting completed even after the monsoon. The situation is set to worsen further as the next three days are slated to witness high-tides conventionally,” pointed out Jinson, executive member of West Kochi Coast Protection Council (WKCPC).
Taking serious note of the situation, the villagers have decided to intensify their protest, and a meeting of affected families, to be convened next week, will finalise the form of protest.
The next time when sea erosion takes place, no one will move to relief camps as a measure of protest and instead will seek refuge at other houses, he added.
The village witnessed a series of protests a fortnight ago against the alleged apathy of the authorities in addressing the villagers’ concerns, and the issue was resolved after the authorities promised to commence work at the earliest.
‘Work soon’
Commenting on the issue, district administration officials said the preparatory work had already commenced, and it would be carried out on a full scale once the water receded. Geo bags for building sand wall have already been moved to the location, and the remaining work will begin in a couple of days.
“We have already initiated a few temporary measures, while the cleaning of canals last week proved very successful.
“The remaining work will be carried out in a timely manner,” said District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla.
For the record, the village had suffered the most when Ockhi hit the coast in December last year. Though the authorities had promised a comprehensive package, including the construction of a seawall, breakwaters and laying coir geo-textiles to prevent sea erosion within three months, the project did not materialise.
According to locals, seawalls are required at five locations including Velankanni Bazaar, Companypady, Vachakkal, and Puthenthode Fishing Gap.