A massive clean-up in Kerala’s Kuttanad region has been undertaken by over 60,000 volunteers, who reached to help out in cleaning up the homes affected by the floods.
Parts of Kuttanad, known as Kerala’s rice bowl, are still inundated as it lies below the sea level. It has been a tedious process to clean the region of all the silt and debris that the deluge has dumped in the area.
After flood waters receded, locals also found their homes being invaded by reptiles. Around 1,000 engineers and snake catchers also joined in to help Kerala recuperate.
Another group that has been doing commendable work ever since the flood waters started receding is the all-women collective, Kumbashree. Workers of the agency gave parts of their meagre income and collected about Rs 7 crore that they donated to the chief minister’s relief fund.
Onmanorama reported that 93 per cent, which accounts for about 1.05 lakh, of the flood-affected homes in Kerala have been cleaned and made livable due to primarily volunteer-driven cleaning.
However, clean-up in rural areas, which has a higher number of damaged homes than the urban areas, has been comparatively slower. Around 60 per cent of homes in rural Kerala have been restored to a liveable state now.
