Konni: A stone column bearing the maximum water level from the devastating flood of 1924, Malayalam era 1099, has been discovered on the banks of Achankovilar River at Konni. People started looking for the column after last month's flood called into question Kerala's preparedness to deal with natural calamities.
The August flood was the worst since 1924. The century-old flood has been the fodder of folklore but very few of its physical markers have survived across the state.
The five-foot monolithic plaque found near the government lower primary school at Sanjayath bears the maximum flood level from 1924. The column was buried under a mount of mud, it was recovered during the construction of a road in the area.
Konni panchayat vice president Praveen Plavilayil arranged an excavator to look for the lost monument. He said that the panchayat intended to keep it as a relic from the area's past. Some people have argued that the marker could be shifted to the proposed heritage museum in Konni, while the others want the marker to be preserved on its original location.
Another marker was located opposite the house of one Aikkara Jayaprakash. The 71-year-old man said that he had heard about the flood from his late father, Krishna Panikker. He said that his house was submerged in the flood.
The marker was installed by the road that was the main thoroughfare in the time of the kings. The plaque was eventually uprooted when a wider road was constructed.
