Kochi: The road to Puthenvelikkara on the outskirts of Paravur in Ernakulam district, the location of one of the biggest relief camps, is circuitous. Normally, it takes one hour from Ernakulam to reach Puthenvelikkara, but now double that time is required as the road from Paravur remained largely cut-off with water yet to recede from the region.
The Aluva-Paravur route is also waterlogged in many places and small vehicles cannot negotiate the water levels. The Presentation College premise, the main relief camp in the region, presented a tolerable picture on Monday compared to the chaos that prevailed in the past three days.
The situation has improved from the initial days with Mr Amitab Bachan of Hornbill Foundation working as a coordinator of the camp. Those in the camp are traumatised, though they do not have a sense destitution. Most of them are worried over the loss of the household goods ranging from fridges to washing machines and other utilities.
The stocks of medicine and food in the camp, accommodating nearly 2,000 people, are sufficient, according to Mr. Bachan. The lack of medicines for persons with cardiac problems has been largely resolved with the supply reaching on Monday. But psychiatric medicines for mental illness are still in short supply.
According to an official release, 760 camps with 95,398 families comprising 377,255 people are in the seven taluks of Ernakulam district comprising Aluva, Kunnathunadu, Muvattupuzha, Kanayannur, Paravur, Kothamangalam and Kochi.
