Kasaragod: Five days of relentless rain have left Kasaragod battling twin threats at opposite sides of the district. While three landslides forced the evacuation of 12 families from the eastern hill village of Thayyeni in East Eleri panchayat, rough seas on the western coast washed away roads, seawalls and sections of the compound wall of the ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), putting hundreds of coastal families on alert.
At the CPCRI’s beach experimental block, the sea has breached the institute’s coastal boundary, washing away around 80 metres of the compound wall. Another 30-metre stretch is on the verge of collapse. The sea has also swallowed a tarred road that connected nearby coastal settlements and the strip of land between the road and the shoreline, bringing the waves to the edge of the institute’s experimental farm.
The institute, which has nearly a kilometre-long boundary facing the Arabian Sea, has sought urgent intervention from the district administration, warning that further erosion could damage valuable research fields and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, in the district’s eastern high ranges, three landslides sent mud and debris rushing through Thayyeni in East Eleri panchayat. The area, along with neighbouring Cherupuzha panchayat in Kannur district, has been battered by heavy rain for the past five days, saturating the slopes and swelling rivers and streams.
Twelve families were shifted to safer locations after debris from landslides on private properties flowed across roads and towards residential areas. Houses belonging to Saji Ozhikayil, Babu Kadapurayil and Suresh Kuttiyattu are among those facing the threat of damage, according to K K Mohanan, former East Eleri panchayat member from Thayyeni. District Panchayat member Bincy Jain coordinated evacuation and relief efforts in the area.
Coastal erosion worsens
The sea continued to batter several stretches of the Kasaragod coast on Friday, damaging roads, destroying coastal protection structures and forcing evacuations.
The worst-hit area was Kavugoli in Mogral Puthur, where nearly 100 metres of the Cherankai-Kavugoli coastal road was washed away. The road serves as a vital link for around 200 families living in the area. Residents fear that further sea ingress could reach their homes.
At Nellikkunnu’s Cherankai coast, fiery waves destroyed sections of a sea wall made of geobags, leaving houses directly exposed to the sea.
At Koyippady in Kumbla, rough seas damaged a granite seawall and began washing away geobags placed to protect the coast. Around 10 families were shifted to safer locations. Residents warned that any further damage to the coastal road could endanger hundreds of nearby homes.
At Perwad beach, a geobag seawall installed two years ago has been gobbled by the sea. The remaining stone seawall is also showing signs of failure under constant wave action. Residents said several seawalls constructed over the past decade have been gradually claimed by the sea despite repeated spending on coastal protection projects.
Coastal erosion was also reported from Uppala in Mangalpady panchayat and Ajanur near Kanhangad, where roads and houses close to the shoreline remain under threat.
