KOCHI: Along with the huge financial loss incurred due to the damages caused by the floods in the district, the government has spent Rs 175 crore in the district for rescue, cleaning and relief work. While briefing the Centre team, which was in Ernakulam for post-flood damage assessment, District Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla, on Friday, said an amount of Rs 60 crore was spent for the searching and rescue measures in Ernakulam.
For relief works, another `35.54 crore was utilised. The biggest expenditure was for post-flood cleaning. The district administration had to shelve out `80.35 crore for cleaning of water bodies, especially wells, which were contaminated.
In the floods, a majority of the areas in Aluva and Paravur were submerged. The relief team rescued 1,15,250 people from these areas. The fishermen also rolled out 400 boats for the rescue work. There were a total of 969 relief camps in the district, in which 4.2 lakh people were sheltered. A total of 5,530 tonnes of non-biodegradable waste was collected from the flood-affected areas. The agricultural sector, according to the assessment, suffered a loss of `204 crore in Ernakulam. A total of 120 hectares of paddy fields were damaged. The Fisheries Department said the sector suffered a loss of `33.92 crore. The commercial sector incurred a loss of `489.56 crore. “The assessment of buildings damaged is progressing,” Safirulla said.
In the floods, a total of 2,105 roads were affected. Roads to the length of 780 kilometres were totally damaged. The KSEB has also incurred a loss to the tune of `42 crore.
Support pours in for Chendamangalam weavers
Kochi: Support is pouring in for the beleaguered weavers of Chendamangalam, who have lost crores worth looms, raw materials and stocks in the last month’s deluge. On Friday, Pernod Ricard India Charitable Trust, the CSR arm of the alcohol-beverage company Pernod Ricard India Pvt Ltd, has come forward to help the handloom society by repairing the damaged looms after coming to know about the crisis faced by the handloom weavers of Chendamangalam area. Pernod Ricard India Charitable Trust is funding the initiative through Delhi-based Advit Foundation. Kochi-based Gopalji Foundation is coordinating the initiative on ground zero. KSIDC chairman Christy Fernandez handed over aid of I30,000 each to 18 weavers on Friday. Another 18 weavers will get aid in the second phase and the final 18 weavers would get assistance in the third phase. T S Baby, president of Paravur Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society, said officers of Pernod Ricard is giving aid of I30,000 each. In the first phase, the company has agreed to fund the repair of looms.