Fear looms large in Fourth Block

Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsThe days of more than 2,000 people living here will no longer be the same as it had been for the last 39 years.“There are mountains dotting the area and at any time we are prone to another mishap,” said Gopalan, who lost his newly built house to the fury of the landslide. He had planned to conduct the housewarming on the day of Onam. Johny, panchayat ward member, said that the fear of another such disaster looms large in the hearts of the residents here.“We had similar landslides in 1992 but it was not grave and no loss of property and life was reported. But this time, several people have been affected by the catastrophe. Each downpour is prone to cause panic in the minds of the people. Sadly, several children have watched the incident, and the trauma and fear of such an event recurring will be high among them,” Johny said. The place is located on the foothill of  Thiriyanmala, which marks the border of Ernakulam and Idukki districts.Few years back, a similar landslide in the mountain range claimed the life of three people in the Idukki district. Gopalan is one of the worst affected in the disaster, with the landslide costing him his newly built house. “The mud here seems to be loose and the chances of another catastrophe still exist,” he said.It was in 1973 that the government had rehabilitated 400 families to the Fourth Block following the land acquisition for development projects in nearby panchayats.first published:August 19, 2012, 11:56 ISTlast updated:August 19, 2012, 11:56 IST 
window._taboola = window._taboola || [];_taboola.push({mode: 'thumbnails-a', container: 'taboola-below-article-thumbnails', placement: 'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' });Latest News