Kottayam: The bundles of coir that are lying in the godown of Vadayar Coir Cooperative Society in Vaikom do not look like new products as they have been stained with sludge. The coir workers in the area are in distress as production is yet to commence normally and they have to bear reduced pay due to lesser output.
"We took a week to clean them three-four times, but the colour of sludge cannot be removed," said Vadayar native Indira, a veteran of 30 years in the field, for whom this is the first such experience in her job. Hence, workers like her are totally clueless.
Not just Indira but the coir sector in Vaikom too is yet to come to grips with the ravages of the floods. On August 14, they had left for their homes after stacking up coir bundles and coconut fibre. They could return to their workplace only on September first week. When they returned, the coconut fibre, which is the raw material, was lost. The leftovers of the fibre were found on residential compounds and on roads. The rest were washed away in floods.
When they resumed work, what they found tough was cleaning the coir bundles that were covered in sludge. They used large pipes to spray water on the bundles and cleaned them more than thrice, but the sludge stains are very much visible.
There is another problem that the workers are facing. The coir that is cleaned is difficult to be bundled again, say the workers. Earlier, they used to bundle up to 50 kg of coir, which has come down to below 25 kg now. This has affected their speed and since their wages are based on the weight of bundles they prepare, they are getting only half the wages they used to get earlier.
More than 3,000 coir workers have been affected by the floods in the Vaikom area. Coming to their aid, Coirfed has said that it was ready to buy coir even if they are not clean. In the first phase, Coirfed officials arrived on Monday to take away a load of such coir. Much more is left to be sold from the soiled lot.
Rs 47 lakh loss
The coir sector in Vaikom suffered a total loss of Rs 47 lakh in the floods. This takes into account the loss of fibre, coir and damage to buildings. "Cooperative societies have suffered bigger losses than workers. Several societies had borrowed money to buy fibre. If you consider that, cooperative societies have suffered more than workers," said Sudha Varma, project officer, Coir Vaikom.
