Century’s Worst Deluge Kills more than 350. Power Cuts and Fuel Shortage Across Kerala
Kerala is currently struggling to stay afloat in the middle of its worst flooding in 90 years, which has killed 167 people and caused unprecedented loss to property. Desperate for help, residents have been uploading SOS videos on social media, seeking rescue boats and relief supplies. Around 80% of the state is without power as the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has cut supply in view of submerged roads and building.
Kerala is drowning and it needs your immediate attention. Incessant rains and landslides have been wreaking havoc in the state, claiming several lives, with the death toll rising. For the first time since known memory, all 27 dams of the state have been opened to allow the rain waters to pass.
Flight operations at the Kochi airport remain suspended till Saturday. The public transport system has collapsed in many parts of central Kerala. Southern Railways and Kochi Metro have suspended their operations on Thursday due to floods.
And with all the shutters of Idukki dam open, swelling of rivers have furthered the flooding in several parts.
Ecologists have accused the administration of sitting on a disaster in the making when the government refused to implement the Gadgil Committee’s recommendations in 2011. Compounding the problem, the rains show no signs of relenting. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is said to have been unhappy with the late deployment of helicopters in rescue operations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the state yesterday llowing the funeral of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and chaired a high level meeting to take stock of the situation.
Army, Navy, Air Force and NDRF personnel have begun rescuing people stranded in the worst affected areas of Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur districts. Many elderly persons and women with young children were rescued since this morning. Local fishermen have also joined the rescue mission bringing in their boats to help in evacuation of the stranded people in various places in Aluva, Kalady, Perumbavoor, Muvattupuzha and Chalakudy.
A weather report at 7 am has predicted heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds in various parts of the state today. Winds at the speed of 60 kmph are expected in Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. Production of other key plantation crops such as tea, coffee and black pepper in Kerala have also been severely hit, with the state having received about 30 percent more rain than it typically gets since the start of the monsoon season in late May.
Flight operations at the Kochi airport were suspended till Saturday as officials said a red alert had been sounded in all the 14 districts of the state. The public transport system collapsed in many parts of central Kerala with the Southern Railways and Kochi Metro today suspending their operations due to floods. The situation in Kerala continued to deteriorate with rains wreaking havoc in most parts of the state.
As rains continued to batter Idukki, the sluice gates of the damn were also reopened in the wee hours of Wednesday after the water level touched 142 feet mark. Tensions also escalated between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the increasing water levels in the Mullaperiyar dam.
