An earth remover hauling out boulders from the Kannappankundu riverbed to facilitate the flow of the river. The river had got split following a huge landslip and flown into residential neighbourhoods, causing extensive damage to houses. more-in “The support and help we got from the people to fight the Kannappankundu flood havoc was beyond all our imagination,” says Ambika Mangalam, president of the Puthuppady panchayat. “Hundreds of people from neighbouring panchayats, and in fact from far-away places came to help and console the flood-hit people.” The panchayat president’s view is shared by Beena Thankachan, who represents Kannappankundu in the Puthuppady panchayat council and by almost everybody you meet in the neighbourhood. After the first landslip hit the Eduthuvecha Kallu hillside on August 8, sending down huge rocks, uprooted trees, and gushing waters down the Kannappankundu stream swamping residential neighbourhoods, help has been flooding in too. Political and religious divides got submerged in the following days when human goodness kept its head above the water. Even amid heart-breaking losses, this surprising experience of human kindness has been the highlight of the Kannappankundu disaster, local people testify. After the landslips, on August 8 and 14, the place is struggling hard to return to normality. “More than 80% of the residents had moved out after the disaster,” recalls Beena Thankachan. “Many moved into their relatives’ places and 464 families — close to 1,300 people —were accommodated at the two relief camps set up in school buildings.” All kinds of goods needed for a comfortable short stay reached the camps from individuals, charities, political and religious groups apart from organisations of Keralites in the Gulf. “I stayed at the camp for 12 days and we had everything we needed there,” Korangattu Suleikha told The Hindu. Her house is now uninhabitable and she and her family members have moved into a rented house. Almost all those who stayed in the camps have now returned home. Many went to their relatives’ places to wait until their houses got ready for habitation. K. Ibrahim said both his daughter’s and son’s houses were now uninhabitable as their foundations had turned shaky. His own house, stuffed with sand and rubbish, were cleaned and got ready by volunteers. “Those young volunteers who came from afar did a great job,” Mr. Ibrahim, 60-something, told The Hindu. Sand-filled homes Cleaning up was the toughest task as the insides of the houses were full of sand and sludge and the compounds were stuffed with debris. The Kannappankundu stream, which got split in the heavy rush of water, strayed into residential neighbourhoods depositing sand and mud in the houses and compounds. “The volunteers were extremely helpful in getting these houses cleaned up,” Ms. Mangalam said. She pointed out that 19 houses were unfit for living. So the authorities and local people were now trying to accommodate all of them in rented houses. Many charities and individuals have offered to pay their rents for at least one month each. She also noted that kind hearts had offered to buy sewing machines for two local tailors who had lost their livelihoods. A blacksmith would get new equipment and the money to put up a shed. All this help had come unasked for. Getting the roads, bylanes, and bridges back in use is the biggest challenge that the Puthuppady panchayat faces, the president says.

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