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Kerala death toll reaches 70, rescue ops pick up as rainfall relents
Union home minister Amit Shah assessed the flood situation in Karnataka and Maharashtra, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi went to his parliamentary constituency, Wayanad (Kerala), which is one of the worst affected
Emergency teams including those of the Indian Army and the Indian Navy intensified rescue operations in Kerala, Karnataka and Mahrashtra as heavy rains that have inundated large swathes of western and southern India, swept away buildings, and destroyed crops and livestock abated on Sunday.
The monsoon downpour has killed at least 140 people and displaced over one million in the three states in the past week, and three other states — Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh — are battling a crisis triggered by sudden downpours.
Union home minister Amit Shah assessed the flood situation in Karnataka and Maharashtra, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi went to his parliamentary constituency, Wayanad (Kerala), which is one of the worst affected.
The weather office said on Sunday the intensity of rain over Gujarat, Kerala and Karnataka may reduce on Monday. The sudden deluge in some states, while some others are reeling from several rain deficiency, has put the spotlight firmly on a skewed monsoon, which experts have linked to climate change.
In Kerala, at least 70 people have died in four continuous days of heavy downpour that rekindled the memories of last year’s deadly flooding that killed over 400 people. Rescue personnel feared that the toll could rise as many people are still strapped in landslide-affected areas.
But the state government said proper preparations were helping prevent damage. Over 225,000 people were shifted to 1,550 relief camps, and water levels in major dams were not worrying at the moment, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters.
“Well- planned efforts have helped reduce casualties,” he said after a review meeting in state capital Thiruvananthapuram, adding that the state was closely monitoring the situation in view of an India Meteorological Department red alert in the districts of Kannur, Kasaragod and Wayanad.
Rahul Gandhi reached Kozhikode airport in the afternoon. He refused to talk to the media and went straight to a relief camp. “For the next few days I will be based in my Lok Sabha constituency, #Wayanad that has been ravaged by floods. I will be visiting relief camps across Wayanad and reviewing relief measures with District & State officials,” he tweeted before his arrival to the southern state.
Flight operations from the international airport at Kochi resumed on Sunday afternoon, two days after they were shut due to the inundation of the runway area. The Abu Dhabi-Kochi Indigo flight touched down around 12.15pm, marking the resumption of the operations, an official at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) said.
In Kavalapara, one of the worst-hit areas in Malappuram, rescue personnel were digging through a mound of slush and debris to extricate the bodies of those trapped beneath after a landslide. Local legislator PV Anwar said over 50 people were missing in the area. Rescue officials said it will take at least two-three days to remove the debris.
“I lost seven members of my family. I wish I could have died,” said Sunil P, the sole survivor of an eight-member family. As rescue work progressed, emergency teams found the body of a woman clutching her dead baby close to her chest.
Also read | Rain and flood leave trail of destruction across four states, dozens dead
“We have been complaining about naked quarrying in sensitive areas of the Western Ghats. Modern constructions and mindless development — it is natural that hills will be weakened,” said ecologist VS Vijayan.
Union home minister Shah visited Karnataka and undertook an aerial survey of the flood-affected Belgavi district in the state, where at least 40 people have died. Chief minister BS Yediyurappa accompanied Shah.
After Shah left, Yediyurappa said he requested the Centre to release a Rs 3,000-crore grant for the state. The final estimate of damage might exceed Rs 30,000-40,000 crore, he said.
Nine deaths were reported in the state on Sunday, and 14 people had gone missing, according to an official statement. About 581,000 people were evacuated. Of them 327,000 people were staying in 924 relief camps, it said.
In Maharashtra, over 30 people, including 17 who drowned in a boat capsize near Brahmanal village in Sangli on Thursday, have been killed in rain-related incidents in five districts in the past week.
Around 378,000 people were evacuated from the worst-hit Kolhapur and Sangli districts where water began receding slowly on Saturday, another official said.
“A total of 424,333 people have so far been evacuated across the state. Of these, 233,000 have been shifted to safer places from Kolhapur alone,” the second official told PTI.
In some areas of Kolhapur, food packets were being dropped by helicopters as the connecting roads there were still waterlogged. A team of 100 private doctors from Thane will soon visit Sangli and Kolhapur to provide medical assistance. They will also be carry clothes and blankets for the flood-hit people.
National Highway 4 (NH4), which connects Pune to Bengaluru via Kolhapur, reopened on Sunday, but only to take essential supplies into Kolhapur. It was still not clear when the highway will be opened for regular traffic. Several stretches of the highway were still under water
