Caught between COVID-19 & Sea erosion, Kerala student writes to President for help

Edgar Sebastian, a Class 10 student along with his family and fellow villagers, is trapped in between the COVID-19 pandemic and sea erosion situation. Seeking help in the predicament the young boy has written a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind. Sebastian hails from Chellanam, a coastal village in Kochi which is grappling two battles at the same time- COVID-19 and sea erosion.

Over the past week, the coastal village is battling against the coronavirus pandemic which has affected hundreds of its people who contracted the disease through the local transmission. To make the situation worse the villagers are also facing the fury of the sea where hundreds of homes are flooded and many of them were destroyed in the severe sea erosion.

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The 14-year-old Sebastian belongs to one of the hundreds of affected families. In his letter to the President written on July 25, he said this is his last resort to fix things and save lives of his family and villagers.

"My village Chellanam is hit by disasters, but there is no one to help us. I am writing this letter due to this fear. Since the time I can remember, twice every year, my parents used to run away from our house taking me and my brother. Due to sea erosion, during summer and monsoon, water would gush into my house. Since July 16 this year, sea erosion has started. As usual, we prepared to go to our relative's house, but could not go due to the COVID-19 transmission in our region," Sebastian wrote in his letter.

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'But no one came to our aid....'

In his letter the young boy also said he has been part of multiple protests including hunger strikes, along with his father and others in the region, demanding the construction of a sea wall to protect the families on the coast however nobody came to their rescue.

"But no one came to our aid. The monstrous waves entered almost all the houses in Chellanam. Close to 400 houses have been damaged and six houses have been totally destroyed. Along with the things in the houses, my friends and I have also lost our school textbooks. Monsoon has only started in Kerala and there will be sea erosion again," he explained.

'You are my last hope.....'

Requesting the President to intervene in the issue, Sebastian said, "I have studied that the Arabian Sea is one of India's borders. I believe that you have the responsibility to protect the border. You are my last hope. I humbly request you to intervene in the matter to construct a sea wall and rescue us." The boy has not received a reply to his letter yet however he hopes that the President will notice it and help him and his villagers.

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(With Inputs From ANI) (Image ANI)