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Waves crashed against the walls of abandoned homes, asbestos roofs and window frames washed ashore, and bikers waded through knee-deep seawater. In Chellanam, a coastal gram panchayat in Ernakulam district, waist-deep seawater surged through narrow lanes while women dug channels to drain seawater from their flooded homes. Volunteers went around homes distributing rice packets to residents.
TNM visited Chellanam, where the monsoon inevitably brings its devastation every year. While attempts have been made to mitigate the effects through construction of sea blockers, the efforts to stop sea turbulence from hitting the shores have only partially succeeded and, in some places, have exacerbated it. A project to install sea blockers remains incomplete, while geobags on the shore have broken. Even seawalls constructed decades ago have fallen apart in the absence of maintenance.
Chellanam is a coastal region stretching 10 km from the Chellanam fishing harbour. It is situated 19 kms away from Kochi city. The residents of six wards in Chellanam have been waging a losing battle against seasonal monsoon sea turbulence for years now.
The stretch between Puthenthodu and Kannamaly, covering wards 4 to 10, has been flooded with seawater since June 10. According to data from the Department of Irrigation, 1,000 houses with a population of 37,400 near the shoreline are at risk.
As of Friday, June 20, nearly fifteen houses have been completely destroyed, and around a hundred more have been rendered uninhabitable. As sea turbulence enters its fifth consecutive day, residents continue to suffer, with seawater-filled septic tanks, toilets clogged with sand and stoves ruined by waves.
In December 2025, as part of Phase 1 of the Chellanam seawall project, a 7.36 km stretch of shoreline — from Chellanam Beach to Puthenthodu Beach — was protected by constructing a seawall using four-legged concrete structures known as tetrapods. The remaining areas, which are expected to be included in Phase 2, are now experiencing severe wave impact. The turbulence is so severe that even houses located 150 metres away from the shoreline are flooded.
School closures, power outages, and flooded kitchens paint a grim picture of daily life. Within just three days, nearly fifteen families have been forced to evacuate their homes as waves continue to cause severe damage to the buildings. Families are surviving on food packs provided by the panchayat—the only relief so far.
Funded by the Department of Irrigation, geobags — sand-filled polyester bags — have been laid along the shore each year just before the monsoon as a preventive measure against waves. However, most of them have now shattered and burst open, leaving nearby houses exposed to strong waves. This year, they weren’t even laid in the area. In response, panchayat officials stated that the delay was due to a hold-up in fund approval from the Irrigation Department.
In response to the alarming situation on June 11, the Kerala High Court directed the District Collector to expedite the placement of geobags along the affected shores. The order was issued based on two writ petitions filed by residents.
“The situation is worse than last year. Cleaning is difficult under current conditions, as the turbulence has not decreased. Six wards have been affected, with an estimated 150 affected houses per ward — that’s around 900 families. We’ve already distributed 2,000 small sacks to be filled with sand and used as barriers against the water since laying geobags isn’t possible until the sea calms down,” Additional Tahsildar Johny Antony told TNM.
“Residents are reluctant to move into relief camps. But without camps, we can’t officially raise government funds. Food packs are being distributed with the help of local funders,” he added.
Residents have been closely monitoring the rising seawater to decide when and whether to relocate their households. Many say that staying in camps offers no real relief from the ongoing hardships. Those who moved to such camps during previous crises reportedly lost their homes, vehicles, and other belongings—none of which were compensated. Currently, only one functional camp exists at Cheriyakadavu School, occupied by a few willing residents.
Speaking to TNM, VT Sebastian, spokesperson of Chellanam - Kochi Janakeeya Vedhi (CKJV), said, “Simply evacuating a school or community hall and calling it a relief camp isn’t enough. It’s easier to stay here than endure the misery in those camps. There are no proper toilet facilities, no drinking or bathing water, and food doesn’t arrive on time. At least here, in our homes or nearby houses, we have a bed to rest on.”
“On the evening of June 19, the Tahsildar came to the Cheriyakadavu relief camp and told us it would shut down the next day, asking us to pack up. But what about those who had nowhere else to go? There was no response to that. What’s the point of such camps then?” he added.
Rocks and debris from the old vertical seawall are also scattered along the shore. The rock seawalls, built almost five decades ago, are now destroyed, with only parts of their foundations left in some places. Jacob, a 60-year-old resident, remembered a six-foot-high seawall from his childhood, which now stands ruined. He said the sea’s impact got worse after the old seawall was damaged.
"When I was young, we used to place small sand sacks along the shore to stop the waves. Now they’re using larger sacks called geobags — that’s all. They are usually placed after the seawalls to prevent flooding. But what’s the use of laying them when the seawall itself has been destroyed and only the foundation exists?” Jibson, a resident, told TNM, “Geobags are meant to defend against floods, not waves. Laying tetrapods is the only permanent solution. Until then, we live in fear that our lives will collapse at any moment.”
The Chellanam seawall construction project, announced in 2021 after prolonged agitations led by CKJV, has been completed from Chellanam Beach to Puthenthodu—only 40% of the total 17.5 km stretch, even after four years. The work was carried out by the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society (ULCCS) with Rs 344.2 crore from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). This project is now stalled as funding has not come through for the rest of the project.
According to residents, the partial completion of the project has worsened conditions in the remaining areas. The Puthenkadavu-Kannamaly stretch is now bearing the brunt of the redirected water pressure from the tetrapod-covered zones.
"I’ve been living here for almost five decades. The situation has worsened over the last four years, ever since tetrapods were laid in the Puthenthodu region. We acknowledge the efforts that have been made there, but request that the rest be completed without delay,” said Johnny, a 73-year-old resident.
The CKJV began a protest on June 16 demanding the immediate laying of geobags in wards 4 to 6 and an assurance that there would be no further delays in the second phase of the seawall construction. They blocked the road in Kannamaly but later dispersed after the Tahsildar assured them that tetrapod work would resume once the turbulence settled.
The state government sanctioned Rs 1.25 crore from the Kerala State Disaster Management Fund (KSDMF) on June 13 for laying geobags in Kannamaly, Cheriyakadavu, and Kattiparambu areas. Five days later, no progress had been made.
According to the district administration officials, the Asian Development Bank has approved funds for the second phase of the tetrapod project, but several procedural steps remain. The District Collector has scheduled a meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on July 4, seeking immediate intervention for the project's completion.
“We no longer expect much, not even from the Collector’s promises. That’s what experience has taught us,” Jibson added.