As heavy rains continue to lash Kerala, 84 people have died in the state in the last 48 hours alone. Rescue teams are working around the clock and even though more than one lakh have been moved to safer ground, many are still waiting for aid to reach them. According to reports, 97 people have died in rain-related incidents since August 8.
The shutters of 35 out of 39 dams in Kerala have been opened to release water. A red alert has been issued in all 14 districts and tens of thousands of people are living in relief camps. More people are being evacuated from their homes as the torrential rains haven’t stopped. As many as 400 students and local residents have also been stranded on the campus of Kalady Sanskrit University since August 15.
The water level has been rising alarmingly at many dams, including the Mullaperiyar dam, which led the state government to request Tamil Nadu to limit the level to 139 feet. Tamil Nadu – which saw huge floods in state capital Chennai in 2015 because of overflowing dams – insisted that the Mullaperiyar dam is safe. Eventually the Supreme Court intervened and said that both states must”must work together in harmony”.
Incessant torrential rainfall has severely struck Pathanamthitta district. Major centres, including Aranmula and Ranni, have been waterlogged since August 14. Many families are still stranded on rooftops and in other buildings above the water level.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian navy have been airlifting people out of danger zones and using fishing boats to reach many others, but many are still stuck in locations that are too remote to ensure immediate assistance.
#WATCH: Rescue operations held by Coast Guard helicopters over Ernakulam, earlier today. 132 people have been rescued from Thrissur, Aluva & Perumbavoor by Coast Guard helicopters today. #KeralaFloods pic.twitter.com/JqJ0dsbSPs
— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2018
The two major rivers here, the Pampa and Achankoil, swell up annually when the monsoon hits, and floods are common. But the rainfall this year and inflow of water has pushed the district into havoc unlike ever before.
Aluva, one of the most significant industrial towns in the state, has also been hit hard as it sits on the banks of the Periyar river. The Periyar, with the largest discharge potential in the state is vehemently flooding its banks. Reports claim that the river has inundated over 7 km of land on both sides.
More than 25 trains were cancelled or rescheduled in Kerala today in view of the unprecedented floods and landslides in the state, the Southern Railway said. The Kochi international airport will remain closed for operation till August 26 morning in the wake of torrential rains, the civil aviation ministry said on August 15. The hillside districts of Wayanad and Idukki, as well as the hill station of Munnar, now stand isolated as transport and communication facilities have been partially suspended.
The Thrissur-Palakkad route has been severely damaged after a portion of Kuthiran hills collapsed. Five people have died in Vadakkanchery, and seven deaths have been reported from Nenmara.
Incessant rainfall
Kerala, even in ‘normal’ years, gets the highest amount of rainfall among the major states in India. The average annual normal rainfall for Kerala is nearly 3000 millimetres – 2924.3 mm, to be exact.
By contrast, neighbouring Tamil Nadu gets 912.4 mm rainfall. Karnataka gets 1147.1 mm, Andhra Pradesh 890 mm, and Telangana 942.6 mm.
Haryana gets a mere 554.7 mm, Delhi gets 747.1 mm, and Uttar Pradesh, 965.3 mm. West Bengal gets 1795.8 mm and Assam gets 2296.8 mm. Maharashtra gets 1151.1 mm, while Madhya Pradesh gets 1048.4 mm.
But this year, from 1 June (the onset of the South-West monsoon in India) to 15 August 2018, Kerala has received excess rainfall of 30%. The normal rainfall in this period should have been 1606.5 mm. Instead the State has received 2086.8 mm. The rains and floods are the heaviest since 1924.
Ernakulam district has received 21% excess rain, while Thiruvananthapuram district has got 37% excess rain. Kottayam and Malappuram districts have received 41% excess rain each.
Idukki district, which has major dams such as the Idukki-Cheruthoni-Kulamavu dam complex and the Mullaperiyar dam, has received a whopping 70% excess rain. As expected, the district has seen many landslips and casualties.
This article has been curated from two reports published on Dool News.