It’s a double whammy for villages in coastal Kerala

Over 100 houses damaged due to high tidal waves in Covid-hit Ernakulam

Rough sea, high tidal waves, sea erosion along with huge spike in Covid19 cases has wreaked havoc in coastal areas of Kerala pushing the fishing community to the brink.

Many of the coastal villages are reporting a huge spike in Covid-19 cases with some hamlets in Thiruvananthapuram district having already entered the phase of community spread.

The worst affected areas are Chellanam, Alappuzha, Arattupuzha, Thrikunnapuzha, Anjuthengu, Poonthura, Pulluvila, Ponnani and various fishing hamlets in Kozhikode.

The problem has aggravated in Ernakulam and Malappuram districts. Over 100 houses were damaged due to high tidal waves in Chellanam panchayat

in Ernakulam district over the last two days. The panchayat which has 230 Covid-19 cases, is under triple lockdown.

At a press conference

here, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that Covid-19 and sea erosion had badly affected the coastal areas.

“We are providing all

assistance to the coastal population. Those who are in home quarantine in areas battered by sea erosion will be shifted to safer places.

Food packets will be provided to families in coastal areas,” he said.

The Chief Minister said people living in coastal areas are mainly daily wage earners and lockdown had affected them the most.

In Thiruvananthapuram district, total lockdown has been enforced in 70 km coastal stretch. These areas have been divided into three zones for enforcing restrictions in the wake of spike in Covid-19 cases.

Kerala on Tuesday recorded 720 cases of Covid-19 even as 274 persons recovered from infection.

Of the new cases, 528 contracted the infection through contact, 82 came from abroad, 54 from other states and source of infection is yet to be ascertained among 34 persons. As many as 17 health workers contracted the disease.