Part-2 This is not Muthalapozhy but this is a death trap.
Yesudas William
Nautical Times Kerala.
“This is not Muthalapozhy but this is a death trap” , Nyarathamparabil Darly repeats this time and again. Her husband Pascal met with a tragic death here. She wailed inconsolably clutching a photograph of Pascal. When the pitch of weeping and wailing rose high the sea came to a stand still. Yes, the sea is just like that. The waves have got some sequence. But the wails of Darly superseded them.
Pascal as usual went for fishing in the morning. But he never returned at the appointed time. His boat upturned near the eustauary. Pascal who was an expert swimmer, was caught by an under water current and later that sucked him to oblivion . Darly couldn’t control her sobs, still holding her husbands photo.
The death trap of Muthalappozhi is taking the formidable fisherman to the depths of death. Within last two months six fishermen have lost their lives. Accidents are natural during the monsoon. But people dying so near the shore is unknown.The way of the sea has changed a lot people testify that the whole thing happened after the constructions done here. The waves rise unannounced. The fishermen are unable to survivie them, says 71 years old Stephan who had a lucky escape recently.
Alex, who is a boat owner and other fisherman of Anguthengu were returning to the shore afer a day’s hard toil in two boats.In one boat was Alex and three others. In the other two others with the day’s cath and the fishing gear.
Just before the vessels were to be beached, the waves upturned Alex’s boat. Those looking from the shore tried to do some rescue mission. But all in vain. All that they could salvage was Alex’s deadbody.
The story repeated. Moses, Joseph and another Joseph who substituted his son in the boats never returned. When Joseph’s body was retrieved, it was tested COVID +ve. It took four days to get hisbody released, say Jobin, his son vaccantly looking at his Pappa’s photograph.
“Nowadays we are afraid of sending our men to the sea. We held a long agitation for making this harbour a reality. But we don’t need it any more”, Says the women of Anguthengu. They hold the unscientific construction of breakwater at the harbour for all the mishaps. Scientific studies have found their allegations correct. Repeated mishaps are the testimony for it. A central agency based in Pune had recommended lengthening of the breakwaters.
