The floods came viciously. Kuttanad was never afraid
of the floods. Water logging never scared the people. But the way it arrived in 2018 put fear into
each and every one. It drowned everything and sailed over the roofs of many
houses and other buildings with ease. If people had managed the earlier
editions with one or two feet of flood water in their houses or without any
flooding at all 2018 changed all the perceptions. Flooding was either over the
roofs or six or seven feet of water in the houses and all other buildings.
Those houses where the floods have never touched base too had one or two feet
of water to convert the agony universal. The loss has been mammoth. Crop losses
exceeded all previous records. With an unmanageable flood level and with the
loss of all worldly possessions penury stared at the people of Kuttanad. They
were evacuated hastily and put in relief camps. If resilience is the hallmark
of the people of Kuttanad they need much more to tide over the current crisis.
Perhaps another Marshall Plan alone could engineer the revival. Hurdles are multi
faceted. Foreign aid cannot flow freely. An English Channel in India has called
the people of Kerala “The most shameless
bunch of Indians I have ever seen.” Fact is Kerala needs assistance to rebuild
and rehabilitate. The Government of India has the resources that Kerala craves
for and if it opens the coffers and acts better than the Marshall Plan Kerala
does not require anything more.
I belong to Kuttanad, the Rice
Bowl of Kerala, India. I do not reside there at present. We are settled in Thiruvananthapuram,
the capital of Kerala. But I keep my contacts and connections with
Kuttanad live. I have our people there and we enjoy the periodic revival of our
friendship and the fellowship. We visit the place bimonthly and spend a day or two
there in our house, Cholakathu Deepthi at Anaprampal Ambalam Junction,
Thalavady on the Tiruvalla - Edathua Road forming part of the Tiruvalla –
Ambalapuzha State Highway. Our place is located exactly midway between
Chakulathu Kavu Bhagavathy Temple and the St. George Forane Church , Edathua,
two places of worship where huge number of pilgrims converge. Our house had
been built by Papa and Mummy after Papa’s retirement in January 1975 from the
KDHP Co Munnar where he had been the Mechanical Foreman,an Executive Post categorized as ‘B-Covenanted.’ The impact of financial constraints played
havoc and the house could be completed only in 1976 and the family resided
there since then.
While we were residing in Munnar,
we used to visit Thalavady off and on. The memories of our sojourn remain firm and
fresh in my mind. Though tempted I am
refraining from dwelling on it as it would drag me off.
We had visited our place and stayed
in our house in the beginning of August 2018 soon after the initial assault of the
floods. Water had entered the house and it was cleaned after bailing out
the water. The Sun shined bright and weather was very hot. We felt confident the
current bout of flooding was over when had headed back to Thiruvananthapuram. Little did we know of the blitz that was already
on course to smash all known hardships to smithereens
Floods are a part and parcel of
life in Kuttanad. People brave the floods and lead their life nonchalantly. They
fight the ravages of nature spiritedly and subdue the monstrous battering with
élan. Kuttanad is only 700 years old. It is heard a geological event had formed
it. Situated below Sea level agriculture and farming are the mainstay of the
economy there. It is thickly populated.
When our house had been built it stood two feet above the road. Later
as the road was developed to modern standards the house went lower by three
feet. Though floods had been very active twice or thrice a year we were never
threatened by the all consuming flood waters. The false comfort lasted 25
years. Our peace was shattered when
flood waters swept into our house sheepishly. It became a periodic ritual. The
house would have one to two feet of water whenever there was inundation. The
floods of 2018 had been disastrous. Exceeding
the normal pattern water rose to six feet in the house damaging and destroying
everything we had there.
The experience at the micro level was dwelt on to highlight what people
had against them at the macro level.
The whole of Kuttanad had
become a sheet or an expanse of water. It was in 1924 Kuttanad had the worst
flooding ever in the past. The construction activity in Kuttanad kept the water
level of 1924 as the base level for houses and all other buildings to ensure
that the floods never threatened anyone. The forethought was in vain. 2018 surpassed
all the estimations. Very few houses or other constructions escaped the fury of
the floods.
The projections were all disproved as the years went by. Infra
structure development built roads everywhere to extend connectivity. Roads that
were submerged ritually in the endemic floods were raised by several feet to avoid
chronic inundation. Roads became bunds.
The Thottappally Spillway and the Thannermukkam Bund were built to
hold the rushing sea water and protect farming. The hick up in the timely opening of the Thottappally Spillway
and the Thannermukkam Bund ensured the
flood waters never receded fast.
“The Thanneermukkom Bund (Thannermukkom Salt Water Barrier) was constructed as a
part of the Kuttanad Development Scheme to prevent tidal action and
intrusion of salt water into the Kuttanad low-lands across Vembanad Lake between Thannermukkom on south and Vechur on
north. Thanneermukkom Bund was constructed in 1974 and is functional since
1976. It is the largest mud regulator in India. (The mud barrier has now been
replaced with shutters)This barrier essentially divides the lake into two parts
- one with brackish water perennially and the other half with fresh water fed
by the rivers draining into the lake.” Wikipedia
“Thottappally Spillway is Kuttanad's drain-way out to the Arabian Sea. The Thottappally Spillway splits the Thottappally lake with
the fresh water part to the east and saline Thottappally river mouth to the
west merging with the Arabian Sea. Thottappally spillway is constructed to
spill excess water coming over the Upper Kuttanad and Lower Kuttanad regions through Manimala River, Achancovil River and Pamba River. It is designed such that it could spill off 19,500 cubic
meters of water per second, but after its construction it was found that it is
able to spill 600 cubic meters of water per second. Reasons for this reduced
flow rate are, strong sea breezes during rainy seasons resulting in a rise in
sea level relative to the water level of Kuttanad, formation of sand bars on the western area of the spillway
and the width of the leading canal is too narrow to carry this much water to
the spillway.” Wikipedia
The coastal Railway line linking Kayamkulam with Ernakulam was nothing
but an elevated bund. Connectivity was
attained at a very high cost as the protection of environment took the back
seat.
Add to it the numerous bunds that crisscrossed the paddy fields. As
land was scarce reclamation was the order of the day for construction of houses
and all other buildings. Ponds, Canals, Rivers and Paddy fields vanished overnight.
Yet Kuttanad thrived despite the
incursion of floods. Unfortunately the roads and the Railway line were nothing
but bunds that prevented the even flow of water leading to critical inundation
in Kuttanad. No one ever looked at
Holland that is below sea level and the successful management of the flowing
rivers and the engulfing sea.
The visuals of the displaced - refugees -from Kuttanad thronging Alapuzha
was heart wrenching. They came in their multitudes.They had nothing with them
except the dress they wore. They did not know where to go. Relief camps were
set up for them in far away Cherthala since there was no space for them in the
camps at Alapuzha. The Newspapers had reported that relief camps in Kerala were
looking after 13.50 lacs of the evacuated that is almost 5% of the total
population of Kerala. Of the total population of 2.00 lacs in Kuttanad 95% had
to be evacuated in a short span of two days.
“It is estimated that around 10 million East Bengali refugees entered
India during the early months of the Bangladesh war.
The total number of military and
civilian casualties in World War I was about 40 million ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in
human history.
World War II fatality statistics vary,
with estimates of total deaths ranging from 50 million to more than80 million.
During Partition in 1947, the number of people who migrated, often by foot, --
Hindus and Sikhs to India, and Muslims to Pakistan was 15 million”
The statistics are quoted (Wikipedia)
as the scale of displacement and the hardships that had throttled everyone in a couple of days during Kerala floods draw
a definite parallel when nature declared War against Kerala.
The visuals of rescue by helicopters,
army and navy, fishing boats and country boats, heavy vehicles and the aerial
distribution as well as distribution through heavy vehicles of food packets and drinking water coupled with the angry rivers
consuming everything in their wake reminded us that we were in a war zone. It
was the first experience for Keralites who never ever had experienced the
extremities of wars that were fought in far off places and countries.
We could never believe that Keralites
would ever experience the struggles of the displaced in the war or in the
partition where people ran to save their lives leaving everything they had
behind. They became refugees in their own prized land. It was indeed a great learning experience for Keralites.
Rehabilitation calls for massive
assistance to put the people back on wheels. The people will survive. They are
down but not out. Their indomitable spirit will make Kuttanad survive. The
Govrnment of India has committed itself to put Kuttanad and Kerala back on
track.
We are sanguine it will happen.
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