Water level has risen in the region after the shutters of the Kakki, Anathodu and Kochu Pampa reservoirs, part of the Sabarigiri hydroelectric project in Pathanamthitta district, were opened. The flood situation turned grim in Alappuzha district on Thursday morning. Several places in Chengannur and Kuttanad taluks have been isolated and an unknown number of people remain stranded in their homes awaiting rescue. Water level has risen in the region after the shutters of the Kakki, Anathodu and Kochu Pampa reservoirs, part of the Sabarigiri hydroelectric project in Pathanamthitta district, were opened. Several places including Veeyappuram, Cheruthana, Pathiyoor, Pallippad Kainakary, Pulinkunnu, Chambakulam, Mangalam, Edanad, Puthankavu, Pandanad, Kallisserry have been inundated with floodwaters after rivers breached their banks. The district administration has shifted 20,000 people to relief camps in Chengannur taluk alone. Several houses have been submerged and roads inundated in the fresh flash floods in Kuttanad. Authorities have urged the people living near the riverbanks to exercise caution and comply with the directions issued by authorities. Round-the-clock control rooms have been opened at the District Collectorate and at the taluk-level: 0477-2238630 (Collectorate), 0477-2253771 (Ambalapuzha), 0478-2813103 (Cherthala), 0479-2412797 (Karthikappally), 0477- 2702221 (Kuttanad), 0479-2302216 (Mavelikara) and 0479-2452334 (Chengannur). The district administration has sought the help of the Indian Navy to evacuate the stranded people. The Indian Coast Guard (ICJ), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have already been deployed in the affected areas.<doc-sep>After three days of isolation, flood-affected residents rescued in Chengannur For the past three days, Chengannur had been cut off and rescue operations could not be held since the weather was not conducive. news Kerala Rains Rescued people pleading that others be rescued first, fishermen asking for food and water for those stranded – Kallissery junction in Chengannur paints a grim picture. For the past three days, Chengannur had been cut off and rescue operations could not be held since the weather was not conducive. On Friday, Chengannur MLA Saji Cherian was heard breaking down on a live TV debate, stating that at least 50,000 people would die in Chengannur if helicopters are not deployed for rescue operations. The town was so badly flooded that it could not be accessed by road. Strong wind hindered the rescue operations via helicopters by the army. Since water was gushing into small boats, they were also not able to reach places which were completely cut off. Only a team of fishermen from Omana Puzha in Alappuzha were able to conduct rescue operations and managed to rescue as many people as they could. "We have rescued nearly 300 people from Edathua to Madavana in the three days. But today, we had a setback as the engines of our two boats are damaged. Now we are not able to carry out the operations anymore. But if the government provides us boats, we are willing to resume the rescue work at any time,” Babu Solomon, one of the fishermen, tells TNM. The fishermen were able to rescue the people, though the health of some of them was deteriorating. Those who fell sick after days of waiting on the top of flooded houses have been shifted to hospitals. "We didn't see any human casualties but we saw dead bodies of animals floating in the water. The most saddening information we got today is that three people died in a home in Pandanad and dead bodies have not been recovered yet," says Binu Anthony, another fisherman. On Saturday, ten bodies were recovered from Chengannur. Five of them were from Pandanad. Most of the dead bodies were in a decomposed state and hence difficult to identify. The army helicopters on Saturday dropped food to the stranded people. On Sunday morning, in a huge relief for the residents of Chengannur, rescue teams were able to access the taluk and begin rescue operations. A team of National Disaster Response Force and a team of Fire and Rescue team from Odisha managed to reach the location. "We are a team of sixteen, we are now moving to Pandanad," says Raveendran Naik, a member of the team. As the water receded and the ground turned into mud, it had become more difficult for small country boats to be brought in, which the locals were using to carry out rescue operations. "It was us, the locals, who mostly carried out the rescue operations here as other rescue operations were not that effective, given the floods and the weather," says Jayadev, a local resident. "It is a huge relief now that the other rescue teams have also come," Joy Parayil, another resident, says. The people rescued from the area are brought to Kallissery Junction, from where they are shifted to various relief camps. In Pravinkoodu, two kilometres from Thiruvanvandoor, the situation is not different. Though vehicular traffic has partially resumed with Kerala Road Transport Corporation operating services, the floods have been devastating. There was a respite in rains and a group of rescuers and local people are struggling hard to save lives and give food and water. Rescued people arrived in large numbers in big lorries and other large vehicles, with the locals giving them a helping hand to come out of the vehicles. From there, they were sent to relief camps and those who had fallen sick or had injuries were sent to hospitals. Ambulances could be seen rushing from one place to other and vehicles would stop to supply food packets, water bottles and clothes and people would come in large numbers to collect them. As the water recedes, some people can be seen trying to wash off the mud from the shops. A relief camp has been set up inside a church auditorium nearby, where nearly 200 people have been accommodated. "We have rescued nearly 2000 people from various parts of Pathanamthitta. Since August 16 our focus is on Thiruvanvandoor. We are supplying food as well," PS Thoor, the head of NCC battalion in Pathanamthitta, says. A team from the Army Vehicle and Engine Task Force, Pune, is also engaged in rescue operations. However, Pandanad and Thriuvanvandoor are still in deep distress.<doc-sep>Anuja Susan Varghese By CHENGANNUR: Chengannur, some 117 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is known as the gateway to Sabarimala. The recent floods have left thousands of people, including pregnant women, children and the elderly, on rooftops begging for help. Our reporter Anuja Susan Varghese, a native of Chengannur, returned home on August 14. Though the water did not enter her house, the entire area is flooded. Here’s her account: These are days of horror and heartache for the residents of Chengannur. Three days of life, death, devastation and the battle for survival. The mayhem the floods unleashed on our town is unprecedented. When a rescue boat of the Fire and Rescue Services arrived at Parambathoorpady, an elderly couple was struggling to stay afloat on the first floor of their house. They were standing in neck-deep water, struggling to breathe. They shouted and banged on the doors to attract the attention of the rescue workers, before they were rescued. #KeralaFloods: Relief materials being loaded on board Naval Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), Chetak helicopter & Naval Sea King helicopter at Naval Air Station INS Garuda in Kochi pic.twitter.com/t2hAtwZivj — ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2018 Independence Day being a holiday, I returned home to Piralassery, around 2 km from Chengannur town, on August 14. I was supposed to return to Kochi on Thursday morning, but it rained heavily on August 15 and the entire area was marooned. On 16th evening, the floodwater had reached 100 m from my house and most people didn’t get the time to shift. The shops at Puthenkavu Junction, merely half-a-kilometre from our house, lay submerged and the flow was so heavy that it was difficult for country boats to reach the area. Also Read | Rain continues havoc in Kottayam; over 64,000 people in relief camps Places like Arattupuzha, Neervilakom, Angadickal, Malakkara, Aikattu on the southern side of river Pampa were inundated, with the ground floors of most houses submerged by evening. Neervilakom, a low-lying area, bore the brunt of the flood, with the water rising to the roof of two storey houses. A 50-member team from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) arrived in Chengannur on August 16 morning. They had two fibre boats and a speedboat with them which they pressed into the rescue mission immediately. The Fire and Rescue Services personnel and the police also joined the rescue operation. Georgy Varghese, an agricultural officer, and his wife Bindu were staying in a two-storeyed tiled house at Malakkara. As the water entered the first floor of the house, they shifted to the wooden ceiling of their house. Also Read | Pandanad Town cries for help, water level not receeding They removed the tiles of the roof and sat on the wooden ceiling for three days waiting for help to arrive. Trees swept away by the running water crashed against the house and the compound wall collapsed. The nights were particularly frightening. Each sound was deafening and the wait for dawn looked unending. On Friday, as the water inched closer to the ceiling, the rescue workers arrived. Shifted to safety, Georgy still shivers at the recollection. There is no news of his 86-year-old father Baby, his mother and brother who stayed just two houses away. Also Read | Hilly areas in Pathanamthitta grapple with flood aftermath Elsa Mariyam, a Malakkara resident who was rescued by the NDRF team on Friday, said she kept her daughter’s 40-day-old child on the ceiling of the toilet as water entered the first floor of the house. There were snakes and centipedes in the water and the family kept awake all through the night to escape from the reptiles. ITBP rescue mission in Chengannur A 50-member team from the ITBP arrived in Chengannur on August 16 morning. They had two fibre boats and a speedboat with them which they pressed into the rescue mission. Chengannur has a sizeable population of the elderly staying alone, with their children having migrated seeking greener pastures. Omana, a wheelchair-bound resident of Arattupuzha with a servant to take care of her, is ‘missing’ and her relatives in America have been contacting rescue workers frantically to know her whereabouts. An officer with the Fire and Rescue Department said they have been inundated with similar calls from countries like Canada, the USA, the UK and from West Asia. The power lines in the area were switched off on August 15 and there was no way to contact the flood victims as the mobile phones were drained of power. The BSNL land lines that stopped working on Thursday were revived on Friday evening which came as a big relief. A team from the NDRF also arrived and they rescued around 1,000 people by August 16 evening. Though it we was difficult to reach internal areas like Edanadu, Malekkara and Arattupuzha, the rescue workers saved around 1,000 people on Thursday. By Friday morning, two-storey houses at Edanad and Arattupuzha also lay submerged. Power was switched off on the 15th evening. It was pitch dark, with no potable water or phone connectivity. Some NGOs and local people were distributing food packets in fishing boats. On Friday, the Navy started air-dropping food packets to the stranded. Two youngsters, Binu and Ajeesh, who went to Neervilakom for rescue work went missing on Thursday and their bodies were recovered on Saturday. According to the rescue workers, three bodies were recovered from the houses in the area after water started receding. But with the met department predicting more rains, it looks like the travails of the people have just begun.<doc-sep>Key Highlights Chengannur is one of the worst affected areas in flood-hit Kerala Rescuers in helicopters and boats fought through renewed torrential rain Saturday to reach stranded villages NEW DELHI: Amid the deadliest deluge in Kerala in close to a century, an MLA broke down on Friday while making a vehement appeal for help on a local TV channel. Saji Cherian, who represents Chengannur , broke into tears while narrating the grim situation in his constituency and urged the authorities to provide a helicopter to evacuate the people stranded in floods. "Please give us a helicopter. I am begging you. Please help me, people in my place will die. Please help us. There is no other solution, people have to be airlifted," Cherian said. He expressed fear that floods have claimed at least 50 people in the town. "We did what we can with fishing boats we procured using our political clout. But we can't do more," he said. Chengannur is one of the worst affected areas in flood-hit Kerala. Particular fears have been raised for Chengannur, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, which has been cut off for four days. Rescuers in helicopters and boats fought through renewed torrential rain Saturday to reach stranded villages . Dozens of military and coastguard helicopters took troops to high risk areas seeking people trapped on the roofs of submerged buildings. With power and communication lines down, thousands remained trapped in towns and villages cut off by the floods amid growing shortages of food and water. (With inputs from AFP)Kerala floods: Chengannur MLA breaks down on TV, pleads for help<doc-sep>
Navy helicopters carry out rescue operations in Chengannur | Photo Credit: ANI Alappuzha: A day after Chengannur MLA Saji Cherian broke down on television pleading for rescue operations in his constituency; Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan office has assured help on a “war-footing”. Four helicopters, 5 military boats and 65 fishing boats were pressed into service on Saturday. Four 100-member strong army teams have been deployed were also deployed. “Attempts to rescue the stranded are on a war-footing basis. 4 helicopters, 5 military boats & 65 fishing boats are part of operations. Four 100-member strong army teams have been deployed. Food is being supplied using helicopters,” tweeted CMO Kerala today. Indian Navy conducts rescue operation in flood-affected area of Chengannur (Photo credit: ANI) Kerala Minister G Sudhakaran said massive rescue operations are underway in Chengannur and more than 300 people have been rescued on Saturday. “. We need engineers to help us construct makeshift bridges so that rescue operations can be a carried out in forest areas,” he was quoted by the news agency ANI as saying. “Please ask Modi to give us helicopters, please, please or else 50,000 people will die. We have been asking for Navy’s assistance for the past four days and still haven’t received any help. Airlifting is the only solution. Please, please, please,” Cherian told a local TV channel. Indian Navy conducts rescue operation in flood-affected area of Chengannur (Photo credit: ANI) Chengannur is one of the worst affected areas and the rescue operations had been limited due to strong currents. Search and rescue operations intensified in Chengannur and Chalakkudy on Saturday. The situation in Chengannur and Kuttanad in Alappuzha districts was grim with thousands of women, children and elderly stuck amidst strong currents and heavy rainfall. High water levels made it even more difficult for rescue work. The district administration has asked the irrigation officials to deepen the canals in Alappuzha Chengannur MLA said over 2.5 lakh people are stuck without food and medicine for the past five days. He described the situation as “very serious” in Pandanadu, Edanad, Thiruvanvandoor and Nakkada areas.