As the monsoon gains strength, Alappuzha's coastal belt has started facing the brunt of the rough sea.
While a few houses were destroyed in recent days, many more are on the verge of collapse after high swell waves pounded areas in Purakkad, Kakkazhom, Ambalappuzha, Neerkunnam, Kattoor, Arattupuzha, Ottamassery, Valiazheekkal among other places in the district.
The district administration has opened one relief camp at Purakkad. As of Wednesday evening, 12 people belonging to three families took shelter at the camp. Officials said that more relief camps would be opened if needed.
According to residents at Neerkunnam and Kakkazhom, the sea started to turn rough last week. Several families have shifted to their relatives' homes after high energy waves dumped huge volumes of seawater, slush, and debris in their houses.
People living along the coastal areas of the district are furious over the delay in the construction of proposed breakwaters and seawalls. Though the State government in 2020 decided to build 114 breakwaters at five places off the Alappuzha coast at a cost of ₹184 crore under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), the work is making slow progress due to an acute shortage of granite. Once completed, the structures will directly benefit 625 families and between 1,500 and 2,000 families indirectly.
The construction of another breakwater at Ottamassery near Cherthala, a place witnessing constant sea surges, is also getting delayed. The breakwater, with a length of 950 metres, is proposed to be constructed at a cost of ₹12.71 crore under KIIFB. According to officials, 41 houses in the area are facing the threat of sea surges. Last month, the Cabinet granted special permission to construct a temporary seawall between CP stone 921 and 929 at a cost of ₹95.45 lakh. Agriculture Minister and local MLA P. Prasad said that granites for constructing the seawall had started to arrive and the construction would be completed in a timebound manner.
