Most relief camps closed in district

Only 3 camps stay open; flood-hit people busy cleaning homes

Most relief camps in the district have closed as people head home to the task of cleaning up after floodwaters receded.

Of over 160 relief camps that were set up in the district in the last ten days, three continue to function — two in Aluva taluk and one in North Paravur — with 77 people staying put.

Though the water has subsided, families continue to stay at the camps till they have cleaned their houses, said a Revenue Department official.

One camp at Kanayannur and three in Aluva closed on Saturday as people headed home. Classes resumed on Friday at some schools where relief camps were set up.

When Seema Biju, a resident of Eloor, returned home, she was glad her home and appliances did not sustain too much damage, but there was a lot of mud to get rid of. Compared to the severe damage the houses in the neighbourhood had suffered last year when they were submerged up to the roof, losses were minimal this year, she said.

Residents of the area have not received any help with cleaning or supplies but are already putting together relief material for the worst-hit areas in Wayanad, Ms. Biju added.

“People panicked this time when the water level began to rise, but there was not much to fear in terms of damage,” said Sheeja Shaji, member of Kunnukara panchayat, North Paravur. Relief supplies and cleaning material have not reached the panchayat, she added.

The district administration is focussing on helping people clean up, said District Collector S. Suhas. “Medical teams have been sent out for surveillance, and the administration has given out a couple of loads of cleaning material to the Health Department and local bodies,” he said.

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