The worst-ever flood in the history of Ernakulam district on Thursday evening found over 52,000 people seeking refuge in more than 260 relief camps, with the number rising all the time.
At last count in the evening, there were 269 camps in the district, with 52,604 people from 14,333 families. In the afternoon, there were 239 camps and 37,948 inmates from 11,056 families, and the swelling numbers pointed to the magnitude of the crisis.
Aluva, Mupathadam, Eloor, and Kalamassery along the banks of the Periyar continue to remain submerged with no let-up in water level. Mupathadam was almost marooned, with water even reaching areas unaffected till day.
“I haven’t seen anything like this in my life. M.K.K. Nagar, the residential colony for retired employees of FACT, was never ever flooded before. But now, we are being forced to shift out as water keeps on rising,” said C.K. Sadasivan Pillai, a local resident.
Power supply in the area was disrupted. Shops have ran out of candles, and even essential items like rice are beginning to run out of stock. The actual count of relief camps in the area is not immediately known, with offices of companies being turned into impromptu camps and all available space becoming safe shelters.
One-way traffic
Soil has caved in along one side of the Old Pathalam Bridge, used for reaching out to places like Kadungalloor and Mupathadam, forcing the authorities to enforce one-way traffic. An 11-KV line going through the area also seems to be in danger.
The usual bumper-to-bumper traffic on the national highway stretch between Kalamassery and Aluva turned into a trickle of vehicles, mostly long-distance goods carriers, on Thursday afternoon, as water engulfed the road at Muttom near the Kochi metro yard and a little further up at Companyppady.
The entire area wore an apocalyptic look, with the western and eastern sides of the highway remaining inundated.
Hotels and business establishments were mostly closed. People were seldom found walking on the roads, and residents on the upper side of the highway were seen anxiously watching movements on the road below.
A large number of people, mostly local residents, swung into action from Thursday morning to prevent vehicles from proceeding further north of Muttom, as water flow from the Muttar river flooded the road. The water level was seen rising in the afternoon. Taufeeq, a resident, said water level started rising in the afternoon on Wednesday. But residents did not realise the seriousness of the situation until late in the evening, he said.
An official of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) said buses were not being allowed to move north of Muttom though a few buses had been scheduled to move to destinations in the south like Alappuzha and Kollam. However, there were no services to destinations like Muvattupuzha and Thodupuzha.