Numerous houses in the coastal community of Ernakulam were inundated by seawater on Wednesday due to a sea surge amid heavy rainfall. The worst-hit areas include Edavanakkad, Nayarambalam, Njarakkal, and Chellanam panchayats, with Edavanakkad experiencing the most severe impact.
Local authorities in Edavanakkad reported around 200 houses affected by the seawater intrusion, disrupting the lives of hundreds of residents. The sea surged nearly one kilometre inland, impacting homes up to the Kannupillai Kettu bridge and bringing seawater, sand, and septic waste into residences. Three houses became uninhabitable due to sand deposits.
Angry residents gheraoed the Kochi tahsildar, who came to assess the situation, and planned to blockade the state highway near Edavanakkad village office at 8 am on Thursday. District collector NSK Umesh convened a meeting with local officials to devise a crisis management plan, but no long-term solutions like seawall construction were promised.
In Chellanam, the Kannamaly police station and surrounding houses faced seawater intrusion, prompting the creation of a sand bund to prevent further damage. While seawater also intruded in Nayarambalam and Njarakkal, the damage was not significant, according to revenue officials.
Other parts of the district saw uprooted trees causing damage to houses in various villages, and a four-year-old girl was injured in Kunnathunad. The region received significant rainfall, with the Idamalayar dam area recording 13cm in the past 24 hours.
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