Rain fury abates, Kerala toll reaches 110

Heavy rain and landslides had wreaked havoc in many parts of the state, especially north Kerala for the past one week leaving a trail of death and destruction.

Congress lawmaker Rahul Gandhi on Friday rushed 11 truckloads of food and essentials to his flood-hit constituency, Wayanad in north Kerala as rescue personnel retrieved four more bodies from debris taking the death toll from flood and landslides to 110 in the state, party leaders said.

During the peak of floods, some areas such as Nilambur and Meppadi had received 30 cms of rain in a day, said weathermen. (HT image)

They said a fresh consignment of 50,000-kg rice and other essentials such as sugar, salt and different varieties of dal (pulses) as well as bed-sheets, blankets and mats were despatched to Wayanad. “We have prepared kits containing these items and it will benefit at least 10,000 affected families,” said N D Appachhan, Wayanad convener of the Congress-led United Democratic Front. He added Gandhi would reach Wayanad by August-end.

Last week, Gandhi had visited his constituency that falls in two districts — Wayanad and Malappuram. While a portion of the aid came from his MP fund, the rest was collected by party workers from various states, according to Congress leaders.

Heavy rain and landslides had wreaked havoc in many parts of the state, especially north Kerala for the past one week leaving a trail of death and destruction. During the peak of floods, some areas such as Nilambur and Meppadi had received 30 cms of rain in a day, said weathermen.

As rain fury abated, rescue officials have intensified search for missing people in Kavalapara and Puthumala, which bore the maximum brunt of landslides. At least 30 people are still missing from these two places. The highest toll is in Malappuram, 42, followed by Kozhikode, 17, and Wayanad 16.

At least 84 landslides were reported in Kerala this time. More than drowning majority perished in landslides — out of 110, at least 85 died in landslides.

Experts said hilly areas turn porous and break after incessant rain, forcefully pushing rock, mud and debris down slopes with little or no warning. At times, a deafening sound accompanied the landslips but often there were no hints. But the force was so great that rubble and slush travelled for miles together, entirely changing the landscape, they said.

In Kavalapara, a village had vanished completely. With accumulated mud still loose and slushy, rescue officials are finding it difficult to search for the missing.

Former chief minister V S Achuthanandan, known for supporting the green cause, has called for urgent measures to prevent future disasters. In a Facebook post, the veteran communist leader talked about 2011 Madhav Gadgil report on ecologically fragile Western Ghats. Even a small child in the state knows uncontrolled quarrying and encroachment of wetlands were the root cause of calamities in the state, the ex-CM said.

A noted ecologist, Gadgil headed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) which submitted a report recommending measures for the protection of the Ghats.