Solar power lit up hope amid deluge
Thiruvananthapuram: It was five years ago that Dr A P Sreekumar, a staunch environmentalist, installed a rooftop solar power plant at his house. Little did he know then one day it would help save lives in the face of extreme danger.
When the electricity board had turned off power distribution at Chengannur to prevent further danger following the unprecedented rain and deluge, Sreekumar’s house at Kizhakkenada near Chengannur Mahadeva Temple remained lit up. It sheltered five families in the neighbourhood.
It became a centre from where the refugees sent SOS messages, everyone charged their phones and remained connected to the outside world.
“Even though we had enough power, we tried our best to reduce the usage as we did not know how long the uncertainty would prevail,” Sreekumar said. The doctor could also alert the local youths, who were carrying out rescue operations along with police and fire and rescue personnel, and save the lives of an elderly man and his son stranded in the neighbourhood. Fortunately, the house was not submerged as it is located on a higher plane.
Indukantham Hospital run by Sreekumar, which is again solar powered, had sheltered five other families, including, that of two in-patients.
Sreekumar and wife Dr Lakshmi Sreekumar had administered first aid to many fishermen who were injured in rescue operations. After the flood waters receded, the couple joined the medical camp opened by the health department at Chengannur.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes
