Monsoon Emergency: Malar Trust helps the affected villages

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Mani G. Rupakanthan distributing rice to Irular community in Poonjeri

In recent days, the Tamil Nadu was hit by monsoon rains in particular violence and the district of Kancheepuram, where we operate, was among the hardest hit. As usual, the poorest stratum of the population has endured the most severe hardships, especially in the villages where the Irula precarious dwellings – mud huts with roofs of palm leaves – are completely inadequate to support heavy rains.

In our villages the emergency was intense. In Panjartheerthi, the Irula village was completely evacuated and the residents were transferred for days in the school buildings. The community Masima Nagar, near Poonjeri, was completely flooded and Peryar Nagar, where there is no school, many families have been displaced in our own center for living.

The problem of flooding was immediately added to the subsistence: the rains had ceased all agricultural and industrial activities leaving the adults in these communities, who work daily in the fields or in road maintenance, and use the daily wage to buy food, with no means of support.

A few days before the start of the emergency, as soon as the roads were passable, the head of Malar Trust India, Mani Rupakanthan, office manager Gaja and some local volunteers reached the affected villages to provide help: Panjartheerthi, Peryar Nagar, Eachamballam , Irular Pakuti.

In addition to our villages we were rescued also two settlements Irula near Kancheepuram, hit particularly hard.

Malar Trust India has deployed in these six villages almost 1.500 kg of rice, reaching more than 165 families. They were also distributed blankets to the elderly and children and plastic sheeting to cover the roof of huts virtually destroyed.

It ‘the first time in ten years we see an emergency so acute due to monsoons: the timely funds provided by our Italian friends of Malar Trust Onlus was truly admirable!