Many houses, shops still under water

Kumarakom: Sketches of writer-activist Arundhati Roy and her book ‘The God of Small Things’ adorn the wall of the Aymanam panchayat office here. The room is packed with clothes and food items donated to people in the area who have been left homeless.
The jeep driven by Arun Kumar N, panchayat officer in-charge of flood relief in Aymanam and Kumarakom, is packed with supplies and he steers through four-feet water to reach several rescue camps in the area.Once a tourist paradise, the backwaters of Kumarakom has covered hundreds of homes with water, which show no sign of receding.
A total of 10,658 people are in 14 relief camps in Kumarakom after houses mainly near the bird sanctuary were engulfed in rising water. With a few returning , many are still held up in camps primarily at the regional agricultural research station, which houses over 2,000 people in three buildings.
“Our house is in ward 20 in Kumarakom. We were evacuated on Friday morning and came here. I tried going home today but there is still knee-deep water and I saw two snakes in my kitchen. I rushed back to the camp,” said Ammani from the research station camp.
“Heavy rains has disrupted power supply from August 15 and we had to move out soon after. We were so cut off from the rest of the world that we came to know about Vajpayee’s death on Sunday only,” said Sandeep, who is now staying with his family at the Parippu High School in Aymanam.
Aymanam area was badly hit by floods with some areas still inundated. At present, there are 10 camps in Aymanam lodging 6,222 people and gradually they are returning to their homes, but the water level is still a challenge.
Kumar said that people can attempt returning only after five more days. The sad reality is that many houses, shops and business establishment are still under water. Boats and trucks are the only access to some areas.
With over 16,000 people still in camps, having lost everything, their only thought is if there is anything left at home.