Najiya O, TwoCircles.net
Heavy rains have led to floods and landslides, taking the lives of around 60 people in Kerala. The torrential rains on Thursday poured continuously for 24 hours, leading to rise in the water levels abruptly, drowning towns and villages. It also led to deadly landslides, washing away houses and people in around 80 incidents in eight districts. Rescue operations are going on to take out the bodies of those who have been covered by mud.
However, the rains have reduced a bit in some districts. Still, the red alert is on in Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts in northern Kerala on Sunday. However, the red alert warning has been changed to orange alert in several districts such as Malappuram, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Palakkad, Ernakulam and Idukki. The Air Force, the National Disaster Response Force, and the personnel of the police, fire and forest departments are in the rescue operations along with the fishermen (hailed as ‘Kerala Army’ owing to their contributions in the 2018 flood) and other volunteers.
A total of 1.65 lakh people from 46,400 families have been relocated to the 1,318 relief camps opened all over the state. While the most number of camps have been opened in Kozhikode (287 camps with 37,409 people), Wayanad has 32,276 people in 197 camps and Malappuram has 24,151 people in 185 camps. The least affected district is Kollam in the south with no camps at all. Schools, auditoriums, halls etc are operating as relief camps. People are also taking in families and friends into their own homes.
One of the four shutters of the Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad was opened at 3 pm on Saturday. Altogether, shutters of 18 dams have been opened in 9 districts till Sunday morning. However, not all dams have been filled with water yet. The Idukki dam, the largest in the state, has only 35% water in it now, informed the Chief Minister in his press meet on Saturday, removing any fears of more flooding in case of dams getting opened like last year.
The worst affected in this year’s monsoon fury is Wayanad, and close behind is Malappuram district. Both districts saw deadly landslides. Several villages and major towns in Malappuram district have been flooded such as Areekod, Nilambur, Edavanna etc. Many families have been stranded in isolated areas with floods and landslides preventing movement, making it impossible even to get the necessary food items and medicines.
Rescue operations are going on at Meppadi in Wayanad where the houses have been covered in mud and debris of rocks due to the landslide. Eight dead bodies were recovered from the area, but there is no idea as to how many are stuck under the mud and rock. Rescue operations have been moving slowly due to continuing rains. Similar, and perhaps more severe, is the case at Kavalappara in Nilambur in Malappuram district where landslide that took place on Thursday night has buried more than 60 people in around 40 houses under mud and rocks. A hill has been formed when mud, rocks and uprooted trees gushed down with water and landed over a group of houses. Only two excavators were in the place to help with the rescue operations, and later three more were brought following the outrage of the local people. Blocks on the approaching roads also made it difficult for volunteers and other rescue aids to reach the place in time, added with the continuing heavy rains. There is also criticism that the government is not providing enough help with airlifting and since road transport is really difficult.
The Cochin International Airport in Ernakulam suspended operations on Thursday due to heavy rains and water getting logged in the runway, however, is expected to resume operations at 12 noon on Sunday as the rains have come down a bit bringing water levels too down. Train and road transport services have been affected by the rains.
(Rescue workers in search of needy people at Mampad (video from Whatsapp))
Food, clothes and other essential materials for use in the relief camps are being collected at different places, with collection points set in specific areas. However, it is generally said that the essential materials are not reaching the collection points as in the last year. In 2018, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts were not much affected by the floods and so the people there had gone to the badly-affected southern districts and to Wayanad for relief works. The people of Malabar also collected and distributed essential items to be used in the camps and later when the affected people returned to their houses. They were also in the forefront to clean up the houses, roads, religious and educational institutions etc in the southern districts. However, now that the Malabar area is the worst-affected, it is said that help is coming to the affected parts very slowly only.