Rescue shelters exclusively for fishermen families living close to the coast under the threat of sea erosion are likely to be a reality soon, as part of a finalised action plan for mitigating monsoon-related calamities in Kozhikode district. In Kozhikode city limits, there will be at least four such shelters for the speedy relocation of affected families.
Revenue and Fisheries department officials will team up for finalising the spots and making the necessary arrangements. Similar arrangements will be made at other vulnerable coastal areas in Koyilandy, Payyoli and Vadakara. The support of charitable organisations and voluntary sponsors will be sourced to ensure the proper management of such facilities.
The action plan suggests the opening of such shelters to cover the vulnerable coastal areas around Beypore, Puthiyangadi and Santhi Nagar in the city limits. Recurring incidents of sea erosion and the hardship faced by underprivileged families prompted the disaster response teams to suggest a separate action plan for the coastal community.
Revenue department officials said the additional shelters would help reduce overcrowding in relief camps. The opening of separate shelters for fishermen families was a long pending demand put forth by various fishermen’s welfare organisations. According to them, the relocation of a large number of families to relief camps was creating a lot inconvenience. They had said that the fishermen were the majority in the affected group and they should be given priority. According to the latest figures of the Fisheries department, the highest number of families living close to vulnerable coastal areas in the Malabar region is in Kozhikode. There are 2,709 such families in the district. Though the department is constantly in touch with them for their permanent relocation under the ‘Punargeham’ scheme, only 273 families have agreed to cooperate.