Kuttanad witnesses hectic evacuation

With Kakki dam shutters’ opening, water expected to reach Chengannur early today

Waterlogging continued unabated in Kuttanad and other low-lying areas in the district on Monday. Although the rain has subsided, the flow of floodwaters from the eastern side has inundated most of the Upper Kuttanad region. The water level in major rivers in the district remained high.

Several people from Thalavady were shifted to relief camps after floodwaters entered houses there. The situation was not different in Kidangara, Neerattupuram, Edathua, and Veeyapuram with people moving to safer places. People from other parts of Kuttanad, including Kainakary, Pulinkunnu, and Mankombu, have moved to their relatives’ houses and other safer places in anticipation of a worsening situation. A number of bedridden patients in Kuttanad were shifted to a camp opened at the Alappuzha Town Hall.

In view of the opening of the floodgates of the Kakki dam in Pathanamthitta, the district administration has urged the people living on the banks of rivers in Kuttanad, Chengannur, Mavelikara, and Karthikappally taluks to move to safer places. The water from the reservoir is expected to reach Chengannur early Tuesday and in Kuttanad later in the day. The water level in Pampa is expected to rise by 10 to 15 cm. The administration has already shifted several people from flood-prone areas and arrangements are in place to evacuate more people in case of an emergency situation.