Rain leaves a trail of destruction in coastal areas of Ernakulam

Floods devastate South Chellanam-Nayarambalam stretch

The coastal segment of the district stretching from South Chellanam to Nayarambalam has been devastated by floods caused by sea swells and high waves triggered by the spell of heavy rain following a low pressure area build-up in the Lakshadweep sea since early hours of Friday. The western areas of the Elamkunnappuzha are not as badly affected as the Chellanam panchayat but the situation is grim, said Razia Jamal, panchayat member. She said that Puthuvype, Valappu, Malippuram and Murikkumpadam have been devastated by the floods. Dozens of houses close to the beach have collapsed. Many have sunk down into the sand and need to be rebuilt completely before people can occupy them again, said I.S. Nixon, a former member of the panchayat. He, however, said that the situation appeared to have improved a little on Sunday with lower intensity rain throughout the day. He said the coastal road was flooded and a long segment of the road remained under water even on Sunday.