13/05/2016
"Hey, do you want to do a story from Punalur?," when my editor threw this question, I didn't know his real intentions. I grabbed it, since the town wasn't too far away from where I live. "We want to do a story on how people in Punalur are coping with this summer. So just go there, meet lots of them, and write a story."
Well, traipsing around in Punalur, one of the hottest places in Kerala, to report on the state's worst summer is certainly not a cool idea, I told myself. But now that I agreed, there wasn't much I could do to back out from handling this 'red-hot' story. So on a Saturday, I headed out to Punalur, a town of some 50,000 people, bordering Tamil Nadu.
Punalur, in Kollam district, is regarded as one of the two hottest places in Kerala. (The other is Chittur in Palakkad). The place has a rich history: its Hanging Bridge, built in 1877, is the only such motorable bridge in Kerala and the second one in the country; Punalur Paper Mills, established more than 150 years ago, became one of the first industries in Kerala. Though it's located near the Western Ghats, Punalur recorded the maximum temperature in Kerala in the summers of 2007 and 2009, according to Wikipedia. It is commonly believed that the lower range of the Ghats allows hot, dry wind to blow in from Tamil Nadu, heating up Punalur, which derived its name from 'Punal,' (river in old Tamil) and 'Ooru' (place).
Punalur town
I reach Punalur around noon. The streets wear a deserted look, and everyone is energy-sapped and horrified at the prospect of going out. "This heat could kill us," says Bijuraj, sitting inside his photocopying shop. For Bijuraj and his staff, the small, non-air conditioned shop is like a furnace. Most shops remain closed during the hottest time of the day, and the town is rather empty. Only those who have an air-conditioned car come out to the city, Bijuraj says, adding that even during night, dry wind keeps the heat on.
According to officials at the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in Thiruvananthapuram, summer heat in Punalur ranges from mid-30 degree to near 40 degree Celsius. The scorching summer this year is caused by the unprecedented warming over the Pacific Ocean, known as El Nino, according to K. Santhosh, director IMD, Thiruvananthapuram. On April 26, Malampuzha in Palakkad recorded 41.9 degree Celsius, the highest temperature in the state in 29 years. As far as Punalur is concerned, this year the area isn't as hot as some places in Palakkad and Kannur.
Still, the heat is unbearable, and if you are exposed to the sun for a little longer, chances are that you could be knocked down by sunstroke. Up to 30 percent of people who come to the outpatient unit of the Taluk Hospital are those affected with heat-related ailments, said Dr. Shahirsha R., superintendent.
"Sustaining sunburn has become common in the last three years. Every day, two to three people suffer from sunburn," Dr. Shahirsha says. "Many people also come with various discomforts every day. They complain about prickly heat rashes and other allergies caused by heat."
Chickenpox cases are also on the rise during summer. As many as a dozen patients were treated in March alone, he says.
Hanging Bridge of Punalur
Contrary to the meaning of its name, which is 'city of water,' Punalur faces acute water scarcity during summer. With no regular water supply through pipes installed by the municipality, women have to walk in the sun to draw water from the wells in the neighboring areas. The worst-affected are those who live in the upper region of the district.
"The local administration has implemented the Japan Drinking Water Project. But that didn't benefit the targeted group," says one woman, who didn’t want to be named. The project, aided by Japan Bank for International Cooperation, was to bring potable water to people in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Cherthala, Kozhikode and Kannur.
Jameela Beevi, a home maker, says her family depends on the water distributed by the municipality in tanker lorries once a week. "There is no regular water supply. We have to collect and carry water from the nearby areas. This has been the situation for years."
Rajagopal M.A, the municipal chairman of Punalur, says though the town needs 12 million liters of water every day, the plant, built 35 years ago, has a capacity of only nine million liters. He said the municipality has entered into an agreement with the Water Authority to supply water from the Japan Drinking Water Project. The pipeline works are expected to complete after the State Assembly elections this month.
People from different walks of life have their own conclusion about the soaring heat in Punalur. Ansar Thankalkunju, a lawyer, blames filling of paddy fields as the reason for water scarcity and soaring mercury levels, while Mohammed Shafi, a journalist, says widespread digging of bore-wells has led to reduction of water level in the wells in adjacent areas. A.T. Philip, a teacher from Idamon, says it's the depletion of forests in nearby areas such as Chaliakkara, Piravanthur, and Pathanapuram that has led to the current situation.
As I write this, some summer showers have arrived, offering respite from the intense heat wave that characterized this year's summer. Life in other parts of Kerala hasn't been much different this summer, as mercury has risen to unprecedented levels. Climate is surely changing, and unless we stop taking the nature for granted, there will be more Punalurs in Kerala.
*(Photos: Tim Graf/Unsplash & Saritha S. Balan)