Fisher families who lost their houses to sea erosion in 2020 are now living at a warehouse.
Photo Credit: Bhavapriya JU
Video Producer: Maaz Hasan
Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
Kerala coast is facing severe sea erosion and Thiruvananthapuram is one of the major districts affected by it. Many have lost their houses and lives in the repeated climate calamities.
In August 2020, 16 fisher families from Thiruvananthapuram’s Kocuthoppu village lost their houses due to flooding off the north coast of Vizhinjam.
I went to meet the families of fishers who have now turned refugees in their own land.
They managed to live in the school for about a year-and-a-half, till the time the school was shut due to the pandemic. When the school reopened on 1 November 2021, the homeless were soon evicted from the school.
Jessy, who also lost her home last year, said, “Nearly 2,000 people came to evict us. They started creating problems in the evening and it continued up to 3 am. They threw all our belongings and did not even allow my daughter to feed her newborn. My daughter had given birth to a baby when we lived at the school.”
Leaving the school, these refugees took shelter at the nearby Kerala Maritime Board’s office. They are now living in the warehouse of the office.
Hema, a student of St. Mary’s HSS, Vettukad, is also amongst the homeless. She lost her books when she was forced to leave the St. Roch’s convent where she was sheltering since August 2020.
Life has not been easy for the people now living in the warehouse. "There is not enough space for my three children and two of us. If my child wants to change a dress, her father and brother need to go out. By seeing all this, I feel immense sorrow,” says Alphonsya, another homeless victim of the sea erosion.
Experts and the residents of the coastal area of Thiruvananthapuram blame the construction of the port at Vizhinjam for their present situation.
Vijayan A J, ocean governance expert, echoed concerns raised by the residents living along the coast of Thiruvananthapuram.
State government had offered a compensation of Rs 10 Lakh to the families who have lost their houses, but the homeless point a flaw in the compensation scheme and say that the amount of money is insufficient to rebuild a house.
Meanwhile the fisherfolks-turned-refugees continue to live in the warehouse of the Kerala Maritime Board’s office in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Quint has reached out to Thiruvananthapuram district collector, Vizhinjam International Ports limited, and the Adani ports on the issue. Their response is awaited. Story would be updated once we have the response(s).
(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for the same.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)