Floodwaters started receding across Kerala, even as the death toll in the unprecedented deluge since August 8 rose to 209. (The total number of people died during the rainy season rose to 370.) With over 7,00,000 people living in 5,645 camps and extensive damage to infrastructure that includes 10,000km of roads, Kerala now faces the challenge of rehabilitation, preventing disease and rebuilding the state.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan promises help
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan promised to reach out and rescue the last stranded person. The immediate concern is preventing epidemics and water-borne diseases, even as health experts warned of a possible rise in cases of leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that affects both humans and animals. Preliminary estimates suggest that repairing the main roads alone would cost £444.1 million. “NHAI and PWD have agreed to do immediate repair of damaged roads,” Vijayan said.
He said ensuring hygiene and clearing waste from flood-hit areas was going to be a huge challenge. He said that each affected ward will have separate teams to ensure hygiene and that volunteers will be enrolled for this task. The CM chaired meetings on Sunday to put in place a preliminary framework for rebuilding Kerala. Ministers, senior officials of railways, PWD and other departments attended. It was decided that as soon as water recedes, local bodies will begin inspection of each evacuated home for electrical and structural safety.
Modi announces £50 mn more in aid for state
On Saturday, after surveying some of the flood-affected areas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned £50 million as an immediate relief to the state. He also announced an ex-gratia sum of Rs 2,00,000 to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. Earlier home minister Rajnath Singh during his to the state promised £10 million aid. Many states also extended financial and material help to the state.The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has promised an assistance of £70 million for Kerala’s reconstruction effort.
Bus, rail, air services restored partially
KSRTC, railways and airlines restored services partially in the state on Sunday. With the Ernakulam-Shoranur rail route still not fully restored, trains are moving very slowly. With Kochi international airport yet to start services, flight of small planes have started from Kochi naval base. In isolated pockets, the water level wasn’t receding quickly enough and people remained stranded. At Chengannur alone in Alappuzha district, at least 5,000 were stranded, according to revenue officials. The CM commended the yeoman service rendered by fishermen in rescue missions.
He also thanked the Union government, PM Narendra Modi, home minister Rajnath Singh, governor P Sathasivam, national disaster response force, the army, navy, air force, civil society, ranging from NGOs to self-help groups, the Malayali diaspora and the neighbouring states for their overwhelming support in the hour of need.
Sikh volunteers set up langar in Kerala
A group of Sikh volunteers from Khalsa Aid International, the UK based philanthropist group came to the aid of victims of the calamity in Kerala. The volunteers, who reached Kochi on Friday, organised langar for the flood-hit people with the help of Gurudwara Singh Sabha, Thevara. They have set up a relief camp where meals are being served to 3,000 people. “Our team is currently at Assisi Vidyaniketan Public School, Perumpilly in Kochi and serving langar to 3,000 people. We have adopted this camp. More volunteers will reach there soon,” said Amarpreet Singh, Asia Pacific managing director of Khalsa Aid.
Gursahib Singh, a volunteer from Ludhiana said, “As per inputs from our team on ground zero in Kerala, people are in dire need of sanitary pads, mosquito nets, anti-bacterial soaps, slippers, tarapaulin sheets, knives, among other things. Soon, we will be establishing collection centres in Punjab to donate these.”
12 killed, over 5,000 displaced in Karnataka floods
Heavy rains in Karnataka districts that neighbor flood-ravaged Kerala have left at least 12 people dead and more than 5,000 displaced. As per official records, so far 12 people have died in Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Kodagu districts. Shivamogga, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts too are facing a flood-like situation. In Kodagu, officials said 4,225 people have been rescued from 1,194 places so far, but hundreds are still missing. Out of 296 villages in the rain-affected district, 13 have been completed submerged. The rain coupled with the landslips has also affected power supply to the district as over 3,800 electric polls have broken down, 260 transformers are submerged and power cables have snapped. The last remaining open road link between state capital Bengaluru and Mangaluru was also cut on Monday.
Flood alert in Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, flood alert was sounded for 13 districts, including the Cauvery delta regions, apart from Madurai and Theni as the Periyar and Vaigai dams received copious inflows. Heavy discharges were being made from dams, including Mettur, following inflows from Karnataka. This led to several villages and crops getting inundated along the banks of Cauvery and its tributary Bhavani. Nearly 14,000 people have been shifted to relief camps in different districts so far in the state, officials said.
The third flood warning was issued to the people living along the banks of the Vaigai river in Madurai district as the water level in the Vagai dam touched the 69-feet mark. As 3333 cusecs is being discharged directly into the river bed, people have been asked to move to safer grounds. The dam is reaching its maximum level after nearly a decade.
