Edathua: In Thalavady Ward 13, the absence of a motorable road and the flooding of the only footpath forced the family and friends of 60-year-old David Kuruvilla to carry his body through the waterlogged path to his home.
David Kuruvilla, of Kunthirikkal Puthuppurakkal House, and his family had lived on an islet in the middle of the Chaliyadi Polders, near Chethipurakkal School. Although the family has resided there for several decades, their home remains accessible only by a footpath that marks the boundary of a paddy field. This footpath was elevated and made usable a few years ago through the efforts of local residents. However, the area still floods when farming activities cease. Additionally, since the footpath was constructed with mud bricks, even a bicycle cannot be ridden along it. Whenever residents of this islet fall ill, they must be carried on a stretcher or chair to reach the road and access medical care.

Local residents say authorities have repeatedly ignored requests over the years to raise the 350-meter-long footpath using red soil. David, who passed away recently, had been undergoing treatment for the past six months and had to be taken to the hospital weekly for dialysis. Two days ago, his condition worsened, and he passed away before he could be taken to the hospital.

His body, which had been kept at the mortuary, was brought home yesterday. Due to the difficulty in navigating the waterlogged path to his house, the body was taken to a pandal erected on the other side of the field for the final rites, before being cremated at the church.