By Shalini Lobo
Kozhikode, Aug 9, 2020: A church in Kerala’s Kozhikode district has been turned into a temporary relief camp after hundreds of people, mostly tribals, sought refuge there following a landslide in the hills of Kakkayam.
The August 7 landslide destroyed a portion of the road, the only to the hill area. It also washed away portions of several homes.
The affected people have now moved to St Joseph’s Church, Kariyathumpara, near Kakkayam, some 60 km northeast of Kozhikode town.
People were seen idling in the open during the day and sleep in the rooms above at night. At present, about 60 people are housed in the church.
One of them is 80-year-old Gopi, who has lived in Kakkayam all his life. He is ill, has no work and now lives in the fear that he will die every time it rains in Kerala. Gopi is part of the tribal community that calls Kakkayam hills home. The tribe is the first to be affected by heavy rains or landslides in the area.
“After this rain, we’ll go back there. Then suddenly it starts raining again, what will we do? If we can be rescued then that will be a favor to us otherwise we will be under these rocks. That’s all I can say,” Gopi said.
Food and medicine are being provided to those living in the church. Local leaders provide food and amenities to the relief camp.
“This time, with floods there is the pandemic. You know about the Karipur crash as well. Everyone is helping others braving Covid and natural calamities. This is the specialty of Malappuram and Malabar,” Calicut district panchayat member Najeeb Kanthapuram said.
Even as they are getting some relief at the relief camp inside St Joseph’s Church, locals are living in fear of coming to terms with the idea their days in Kakkayam hills may be numbered.
Source: indiatoday.in