Sudden monster waves swallow coastal villages of Thiruvananthapuram

PTI, Apr 1, 2024, 8:12 PM IST

Thiruvananthapuram: Ancy and her seven family members were sleeping after attending the Easter mass when a monster wave flooded her home in Pozhiyoor near Poovar in Thiruvananthapuram.

Everything that they had prepared for a feast on Easter and whatever little they had inside their house were washed away as sea water entered the house on Sunday. They scrambled for whatever they could and rushed out to save their lives.

Coastal communities in Thiruvananthapuram and many other coastal districts of Kerala were shocked by a sudden, rough sea on Sunday.

“It was like a tsunami. We had no warnings from the authorities, and everything we had had gone with the water,” a teary-eyed Ancy told PTI as the monstrous waves continued to swallow the half-damaged sea wall bordering her house.

More than 100 families had their houses damaged in Pozhiyoor, some of them losing them permanently, and huge losses occurred to fishermen as the waves damaged their boats and fishing nets.

“The monstrous waves continued to pound, flooding the entire area in Pozhiyoor and nearby areas for over five hours. The situation is getting worse as the waves are still very powerful and even climbing over the half-seawall constructed at Pozhiyoor,” Kulathoor Gram Panchayat president Geetha Suresh told PTI.

The coastal village of Pozhiyoor looked like a graveyard, with cement bricks and waste from damaged houses strewn all around. The famous tourism spot, Poovar, and nearby areas were completely under water on Sunday. Though the water has receded, huge waves continue to hit the shore.

The coastal road in this part was completely damaged. The fish landing area and the Okhi memorial on the beach have been swallowed by the sea.

“Nobody has come to help us. This is election time, and they will come asking for votes. We have a lot to ask them, as we have been demanding a full seawall in this area,” a local fisherman who was fuming at the neglect of the authorities said.

“We have opened one camp at the government school, and we have had 24 families stay here since yesterday. But most of the affected are not ready to come to the camp as they are unhappy with the facilities provided here,” Geetha Suresh said.

She said the area has only one government hospital, but the in-patient facility has been discontinued by the government.

“There are many who are bedridden and cannot be admitted to the camp. If the hospital had the inpatient facility, then we could have admitted them there,” she added.

The rough sea and monstrous waves are expected to continue till April 4.

According to INCOIS, the Central government agency that issues weather warnings for fishermen in the country, this phenomenon is caused by ‘high-period swell waves.’

But there is no scientific explanation to define this sudden phenomenon during a season that is not known for such rough sea issues.