Working hand in hand to save Chellanam

KOCHI: Every time it rains or the sea turns rough, the fisherfolk at Chellanam find their lives threatened. With angry waves battering their houses and leaving their lives at stake, Chellanam is facing severe sea erosion. Despite voicing their woes, no permanent solution has been reached yet.

However, the plight of the coastal area has is now widely discussed. Last week when waves lashed the coast, damaging over 50 homes, the woes of Chellanam came to  the attention of E-Unnathi, a forum that works for the welfare of women and children, who decided to step in to make at least a temporary change in the lives of the fisherfolk community.

Last Wednesday, the members of E-Unnathi visited the coastal region to monitor the situation. "What we witnessed was pure hell. The houses were inundated. The intensity of the situation hit us after we were stranded for over two hours," said Bindu Sathyajith, founder, E-Unnathi.

The team wasted no time in assimilating a group of volunteers who landed at Chellanam the very next day.  "We filled 55 geo bags which hold almost 700 kg sand on Thursday at Mankadavu near Vellakani Church. The weather was too harsh and working amidst the waves lashing on to us isn't easy. The waves bring huge rock pellets which can severely injure us. So, working for long hours wasn't possible. On Saturday, we had a chat with the authorities who were supportive of our endeavour. We filled 30 bags on that day," she added.

On Sunday morning, over 100 volunteers from across the district,  met at Baazar Road and began filling bags with sands. "We could fill 110 bags. Though this is a temporary solution, we could do something. So much labour has gone into this but one strong rain can wash away all the efforts, "adds Bindu.

Geotextile tube walls

A meeting of people's representatives and Revenue Officials, held at Chellanam the other day decided to build geotextile tube walls at the coast on a war footing.  However, the Paschima Kochi Theera Samrakshana Samithi has decided to hold a march to the Chellanam Panchayat Office on Monday to protest against the delay in laying the geo-tube.