Anna and I noticed a motorbike smeared in mud, obviously because it was submerged in water during the flood, on our way back home, after attending the morning worship service. That made me curious to look for a two-wheeler garage to see if there is a collection of motorbikes in tier garage, which were brought for repair after having been submerged in water.
To our surprise, what we noticed was three parking areas near a service station, where motorbikes were parked, waiting to be serviced and repaired. The cost of repair would be thousands of rupees if the engine was affected !
The not so obvious aftermaths of the flood of the last week is emerging. A friend told me that the quotation he received to clean the house and the well was equivalent to his one month's salary. He would need equivalent of six months of salary, to replace all the household items lost or damaged in the flood! He already borrowed double his salary to get the electric wiring and the manis switch replaced!
Today the NDTV is running a chat programme for six hours with interaction with public personalities and those affected by the flood, to raise money to let people return from their relief camps with a packet essentials needed for a family for two weeks.
The slogan, the Chief Minister of Kerala is advocating is, 'Build a new Kerala'!
The row of houses and flats along the Periyar river which was flooded last week is only around fifty feet away from the water level. The buffer space on either side of the river is occupied by human habitation ! This matter is now coming up for discussion! Should we restrict construction too close to river or water bodies!
So while we pay the price for devastation, whether it was nature's fury or human made disaster, the fact is there is a lesson lying in ambush for policy makers, from the experience of the worst flood of the century!
It is a call to live prudently and not lavishly!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
