Though Central Travancore witnessed a respite from the monsoon spell on Tuesday, the miseries of people in the flood-hit areas of Upper Kuttanad in Thiruvalla taluk continued for the third day on Wednesday.
The water started receding from the upper reaches, but the flood situation continues to be grim in the low-lying areas of Upper Kuttanad.
Vehicular traffic on all major roads in Peringara, Nedumpram, Kadapra and Niranom still remain disrupted. The Kuttoor-Vallakulam road and Sastha temple road remained submerged for the third consecutive day. Unscientific construction of a culvert at Kothattuchira on MC Road has added woes of Kuttoor village.
Though the People’s Action Council had protested against the conversion of paddy fields and encroachment of a portion of revenue land of Kothattuchira by a private party during KSTP’s MC Road work, vested interests managed to execute their ‘agenda’, leaving the common man at the receiving end. The culvert is not longer a proper flood escape route between the areas lying on either side of MC Road, alleged Sudheesh Venpala and Unnikrishnan Ancheril, action council leaders.
They have sought immediate intervention of Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran and Water Resources Minister Mathew T. Thomas to rectify the defects with the culvert.
The district administration has opened 80 flood relief camps in Thiruvalla, Mallappally, and Kozhencherry taluks. As many as 5,231 people belonging to 1,472 families have been shifted to the relief camps.
The Water Resources Minister visited various flood relief camps and affected areas in the district on Wednesday. He would take up the problems facing the people at the relief camps with the government.
The body of the Sabarimala pilgrim, Gopakumar from Alappuzha, who drowned in the Pampa river two days ago was recovered.