Kerala - Kollam   

Flood-hit causeway linking islands posing a danger

Staff Reporter

At risk are schoolchildren and the elderly

THIN BALANCE: Children crossing the weak causeway to Munroethuruthu on Monday. An unfinished bridge can also be seen.

KOLLAM: Following the opening of Thenmala Dam shutters on Monday morning as a result of heavy rain, a 200-metre-long causeway, across the Kallada river, linking the islands of Peringalam and Munroethuruthu in Kollam district, faces the risk of getting washed away any moment.

For more than 50 children from Peringalam, that is the only means to reach school at Munroethuruthu. Water let out from the dam flows into the river. Heavy rain, coupled with the opening of the dam, has resulted in the flooding of the river. Residents at Peringalam said the causeway could not stand the flood since it was built using coconut palm fronds and sand.

In addition to rain, water around the islands rises alarmingly during high tide as seawater reaches there through the Ashtamudi Lake, fed by the river. This can result in the river swelling all of a sudden and washing away the causeway. If that is the time when children and elders are using the causeway, it can result in a big tragedy.

Those at Peringalam had been promised a bridge that links Munroethuruthu. The construction of the bridge began some time ago. But the contractor abandoned the work and left. A portion of the constructed bridge across the river stands like an unfulfilled dream for the islanders.

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