Alappuzha: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday visited flood relief camps in various parts of the state and interacted with the affected people.
He met the flood-hit at Lajanathul Muhamedeeya Higher Secondary School relief camp in Alappuzha and listened to the problems being faced by Kuttanad residents.
The chief minister promised to find a solution to the snake menace, which haunted those who returned to their houses from relief camps. According to people from Kuttanad region, their houses were full of reptiles when they returned home after the floodwaters receded.
Earlier in the day, Pinarayi had visited camps at Chengannur, one of the worst-affected areas in the state, after landing at Christian College ground.
Kozhencherry was the CM's next stop. The chief minister was scheduled to cover three districts – Alappuzzha, Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam and would attend a review meeting in Thiruvananthapuram later.
As water level gradually receded, people have started returning home from the camps. However, over 13.43 lakh people are still stuck in 3,520 camps across the state. With floodwaters receding, the government has taken up the massive task of cleaning houses and public places filled with slush left behind by the deluge that claimed at least 231 lives.
The government has set up a control room at Alappuzha to coordinate the cleaning process across the state. Civic bodies have been entrusted with this task, official sources said.
Haritha Kerala Mission, an initiative integrating waste management, organic farming and water resources management, would also coordinate the cleaning process.
It will deploy 50 high-power motor pumps in different areas by Friday. More than 50,000 volunteers from all over the state, including electricians and plumbers, have also been deployed to clean houses and public places filled with slush and debris, sources said.
Relief camps closing in Ernakulam
As floodwaters gradually receded, people have started returning home from the relief camps in Ernakulam.
At least 506 camps have been shut in the district. In Aluva, 113 camps were shut, Kunnathunad 100 camps, Muvattupuzha 60, Kanayannur 86, Kothamangalam 41, and Kochi 61.
A total of 2,77,090 people are still in 476 relief camps in the district. There are 172,876 people in camps in the Paravur taluk alone.
However, the 24x7 control room is still active. The control room mostly handles rehabilitation issues. Phone: 0484-2423553, 2422553, 2423513, 2422054, 2422056.
