Swell waves—4m high at times—and the sea erosion caused by them, are not new to the people of Chellanam. The people of the area have been petitioning governments for years for protection. In a bid to protect the area from sea erosion, the government had promised to set up a groyne field (pulimuttu) made of geotube in Chellanam by December 2018. However, two years down the line, the project is yet to be completed and is mired in controversy.
Reports say that of the 50,000 people in the panchayat, 10,000 live along the 17.5km-long coastline. This year, water from the sea reached the main road, which is 600m away from the coast. Among the buildings that have been affected are a school and a clinic. The seawall only covers the northern stretches of the panchayat, and it is not expected to hold up for long.
Where is the political will? When IIT-M has proposed a viable and permanent solution like the pulimuttu, why is it not being taken up? I have met four District Collectors so far. The government knows that this is the solution. Instead, they are asking people to evacuate the houses they have lived in for generations, and to move elsewhere. How is that fair?
Rev. Samson Anjiliparambil, who has been working with the people of Chellanam for nine years
A COVID-19 hotspot under lockdown for the past two weeks, Chellanam is now being flooded by an angry sea. While walls break down and streets are flooded, the residents worry about opening their doors to neighbours for fear of infection
The Place Where No One Goes. An unverified Wikipedia entry claims that this is what the word Chellanam means. Today, Chellanam seems to be living up to this meaning. For the past two weeks, this small coastal village has been locked down because of the sharp spike in COVID-19 cases. And, for the past few days, the sea has been ravaging the village, breaking walls, flooding homes and streets, and playing havoc with a population already under siege by the coronavirus.
But Chellanam and its surrounding coastal areas were a picture-perfect postcard a few decades ago. “I remember there was a huge beach here when I was younger,” says fisherman Xavier Anand, 44, whose home has been inundated by the sea this year. “We would play football and cricket on the beach as kids. It was a beautiful place, with a pretty beach and coconut groves. Then the sea encroached on the land, and now there is no beach. It is not that we were determined to build our homes right where the tides hit. The fact is we built our homes when the sea was a beautiful glimmer in the distance; today it is almost at our door and we are being made to pay the price.”
No Prevention, No Cure
Swell waves—4m high at times—and the sea erosion caused by them, are not new to the people of Chellanam. The people of the area have been petitioning governments for years for protection. In a bid to protect the area from sea erosion, the government had promised to set up a groyne field (pulimuttu) made of geotube in Chellanam by December 2018. This project envisioned the setting up of geotube groynes along parts of the coastline; these breakwaters extend into the sea and if positioned in line with the sea currents, absorbs much of the impact of tidal waves, even during lunar cycles that cause swell tides.
However, two years down the line, the project is yet to be completed and is mired in controversy. Dr V Sundar, professor at the department of ocean engineering, IIT-Madras—which worked on the coastline protection project for the state government, “The geotube will function as a shock absorber to reduce the power of the waves,” he said in an interview earlier this year. IIT-M was first commissioned to study Kerala’s coastline in 2007, after the tsunami. Following the institute’s recommendations, the groyne field technology has been implemented in over 20 coastlines in Kerala; 25 groynes were laid, using boulders and rocks. It was a scarcity of rock that led to the IIT-M reviewing its plans and making a change to using geotubes and geotextiles. Dr Sundar says the new system is eco-friendly and cost-effective, compared to sea walls made of rocks and boulders.
Meanwhile, the irrigation department—which is in charge of the project—has not found any takers for the short tenders it put out for the project earlier this year. On the other hand, Mohammed Niyas, the previous contractor of the project, has approached the court, citing wrongful termination of contract and non-payment of bills. While the irrigation department and Niyas exchange allegations of misconduct, Chellanam’s homes remain woefully open to the forces of nature.
Made Worse By The Pandemic
The pandemic has not been kind to the people of Chellanam either. Two weeks ago, an elderly man from the fishing community, who worked at the local harbour, tested positive for COVID-19. What followed was a healthcare nightmare; officials consider this COVID-19 hotspot as being one of the top ten clusters in the state. The lockdown protocols in place and the fear of the coronavirus have made it near-impossible for people to reach out and help each other like they did in earlier years when flooding happened.
It was second nature for the people of Chellanam to open up their doors and welcome in family and neighbours when homes got flooded. But the fear of the virus and social distancing norms mean that those affected by the floods are mostly suffering alone. “Our home sits right on the seashore,” says Susy of Puthenthode. “We had two rooms towards the back of my plot. Both of those rooms have fallen in. The sea has flooded my kitchen, and filled it with sand and dirt. We fear stepping into the house now as it looks like it may fall down at any moment. And we didn’t know where to go because of the coronavirus problem. My relative had received a plot to build a house after the tsunami struck. We have moved into the house on that plot; the house is not yet fully constructed but it is safer than being at home.”
Reports say that of the 50,000 people in the panchayat, 10,000 live along the 17.5km-long coastline. This year, water from the sea reached the main road, which is 600m away from the coast. Among the buildings that have been affected are a school and a clinic. The seawall only covers the northern stretches of the panchayat, and it is not expected to hold up for long. Residents live in fear that the sea may breach the wall at any time. It is not uncommon for people to wake up from sleep to flooded kitchens and living rooms.
The Political & Administrative Tango
The situation is adding to the political ammunition of the Opposition. Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, who belongs to the Congress party, deplored the condition of the people of Chellanam on social media. Though his initial post and tweet seemed to castigate the non-action by the LDF government, he soon changed his stance. He went on to write that this was not the time for a blame game, but the time to help the people of Chellanam. He also added that he has been distributing rice and food kits among the affected people, and exhorted people to contribute towards the seawall-building efforts.
Meanwhile, District Collector S Suhas said the district administration and the minor irrigation department has begun distributing geobags in Chellanam. The bags will be filled with sand, and placed along the coastline with the help of volunteers from the local community. He said that all precautions are being taken in the light of the COVID-19 situation even while proceeding with the work of shoring up the sea wall.
Much Ado About Nothing
Residents of the area, however, believe the state will quickly forget their woes. “All this hullabaloo will die down once the immediate danger is over,” says a resident of nearby Mundamveli, who preferred not to be named. “This has been the story of Chellanam for years now. Normally, the people help each other get through the crisis. This year, because of the pandemic and the fear of infection, that too is not happening.”
Rev. Samson Anjiliparambil, who works with the Social Service Society of the Latin Catholic Church, lived and worked with the people of Chellanam for nine years. He is livid that the government is not taking action to help the people here. “Where is the political will?” He asks. “When IIT-M has proposed a viable and permanent solution like the pulimuttu, why is it not being taken up?” Rev. Samson has been part of the people’s agitation for a safer living space for all the years he has lived in Kochi. “I have met four District Collectors so far,” he says. “The government knows that this is the solution. Instead, they are asking people to evacuate the houses they have lived in for generations, and to move elsewhere. How is that fair?”
Both Rev. Samson and social activist Jayan Kunnel allege that there may be ulterior motives to getting people to vacate the land. Rumours of selling the land to commercial interests fly hard and fast. And the people are not backing down. “The government says we are to move our homes 50m away from the seashore. But how can we do that? Land is so expensive here,” says Xavier. “The government will pay us ₹10 lakh as compensation, it says. But will it be enough to buy land? To build a home? The government says this because it has not cared to know us or to understand us as a community, or as human beings. The only permanent solution for this problem is to build enough pulimuttu across the coastline. We have decided that we will vote only once the pulimuttu comes up.”
Jayan Gunnel says the repeated appeals by legislators for repatriation suggests something fishy. “The sea will not stop encroaching just because people move away,” he says. “The pulimuttu is the only permanent solution. So why wait for people to move out? Why not build the pulimuttu so that they can continue residing in their homes safely?”
The People’s Will
“When the floods hit Kerala in 2018, our community, including me, went out wholeheartedly to help flood-hit people in Paravoor and Aluva,” says Xavier. “At that point, the government lauded us, calling us its army. But those were just momentary words of praise. We—the coastal community—have been suffering for decades now, and everyone turns a deaf ear to our plight. We have been treated with indifference.” But they are not ready to simply sit back and suffer any more.
Frustrated by the lack of political will, the people are getting ready to take matters into their own hands. A social collective called Chellanam 20-20 will contest the upcoming civic body polls. The non-political organisation, fashioned on the lines of Kizhakkambalam 20-20 (the first non-political organisation to come to power in a panchayat in India), is now campaigning on social media, owing to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
Men and women in the age group of 20-50 years will contest for the 21 seats of Chellanam panchayat. The core team of Chellanam 20-20 consists of 10 people, says one of the leaders, Charles Biju. The group hopes to strike a voice of protest in the face of political and governmental apathy.
We have reached out to the Chief Minister’s office, the Ernakulam District Collector’s office, the Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department and the Principal Secretary of the Fisheries Department, with queries on the issues raised by the people of Chellanam. We are yet to receive a response from them.
