The unusual heavy rain that battered Pathanamthitta over the last four days has damaged crops worth ₹16.827 crore in the district.
Preliminary estimates by the Agriculture Department suggested that cultivation in about 450.74 hectares of land was destroyed due to the heavy rain and floods. Widespread losses have been reported from areas including Mallappally, Kottangal, Panthalam, Ranni and Vadasserikkara.
At the same time, water receded from more areas of the Upper Kuttanad, and traffic along several roads, which had been rendered unmotorable by the floodwaters, were restored. Some more relief camps were shut down during the day as people continued to return to their homes.
District Collector P.B. Noohu said the removal of sand deposits and debris from the Pampa river helped avoid the recurrence of yet another flood despite opening of a reservoir in the upstream. The District Disaster Management Authority had removed about 74,500 cubic meter sand from the 2.2-km-long stretch of the river at Pampa-Thriveni, earlier this year.
“The removal of sand accumulated on the riverbed and along the banks facilitated a smooth flow of the excess water, thus leaving the Pampa-Thriveni largely unaffected during the latest spell of heavy rains,” the Collector noted. In all, 17,500 truck loads of sand were shifted ashore, which is currently kept at a forest land nearby.
Besides the base camp of the Sabarimala temple, steps were also on to clear the debris and sand accumulated at 44 points along the three major rivers in the district. Though preparatory works had begun much earlier, the process faced a delay due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown.
Meanwhile, the fishermen team brought in from Kollam for flood relief work began to return on Wednesday. A batch of 42 fishermen and seven boats deployed at Thiruvalla was sent back during the day.
As on Wednesday evening, 104 relief camps were functioning in the district, which together accommodated 5,597 people from 1,755 families.
