Deluge: The Kerala Floods of 2018

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Deluge: The Kerala Floods of 2018
by George Zacharia \| 17-08-2018 12:15 0
A disaster has shaken the whole of Kerala, the "God's Own Country". A state so far not affected hugely by any natural disasters for a very long time, except for the tsunami that affected coastal areas in the last decade. Rains, at some places about 447% higher than previous years. In a state where dams didn't have enough water that the electricity board used to cut electricity daily for 1 hour since water was deficient for Hydroelectricity production. Now, the dams have got water more than the safety level that has led to dams being opened (if not, it could overflow and destroy the dam itself). 15 lakh (1.5 million) litres of water flow every second from one of those opened dams. Imagine the destruction created. Roads have flooded. Houses, hospitals, public places, airports have got flooded. Some places it has already covered the ground floor. Ten thousands of people have relocated to shelter camps in their cities and some are stuck at their homes unable to escape. No electricity, no mobile network, no charge, no food, they don't know how they will escape, especially those who stay in remote areas. The Kochi airport is flooded. Services have been suspended till Aug 26th. The solar panel field which powered the entire airport is under water. The public transport services, especially the Indian Railways, in Kerala has also been suspended due to water flooding the tracks. The rains have led to landslides too. The total death count in just two days have come to about 91. Being as environmentalists and advocates, its essential we know about Natural Disasters as well, especially the most recent ones. What control measures can be taken, the precautions, etc. As water levels rised in the dams, the government started opening shutters of the dams since no other option remained. But they evacuated people in those nearby areas of the dam. Also, various units of Army, Navy and Fireforce, Disaster Management team, Police, etc are working 24x7 to facilitate rescue procedures, etc. There are many reasons as to why such a fury was lashed out by Nature. One could be reclamation of land from water bodies which led to shrinking of water bodies or natural passages through which rain water ought to flow. Also, drainages for rain passage in cities, etc of some places are clogged by plastics and waste, etc. It could be the climate change too. In a state like Kerala, where development and Human Development Indexes are at par with developed countries, a disaster like this has endangered human life and livelihood, with losses more than 8000 crore rupees (80 billion rupees or >1 billion USD). People all around the world are requested to join hands and to rescue Kerala from this disaster and the CM(Chief Minister) has opened an online fund donation drive. You can donate to the CM's Disaster Relief Fund. Inviting all of you to join and contribute to https://keralarescue.in/reg_contrib/ . Images: 1) https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/16/asia/india-kerala-floods-intl/index.html 2) https://www.indiantribune.com/kerala-rain-flood-updates 3) https://www.indiatoday.in/india/photo/kerala-floods-rain-kochi-airport-shut-down-1316186-2018-08-16

Dormant user George Zacharia

9 Comments

Muskan Priya says :
It's so sad George. I am continuously following the news. Huge loss for India. Even after raining stopped, it led to great loss for people, their houses are severely damaged. Our prayers are with Kerela.
Posted 25-08-2018 03:51

Muskan Priya says :
It's so sad George. I am continuously following the news. Huge loss for India. Even after raining stopped, it led to great loss for people, there houses are severely damaged. Our prayers are with Kerela
Posted 25-08-2018 03:50

Joon Ho Mentor says :
Very afraid to hear such news, hope belongings and houses of surviving people can be compensated and their home taken back properly. Pray for the bliss of dead.
Posted 18-08-2018 17:58

Gyeongrin mentor says :
Sad to hear news about floods and the damage from it. I will check on the cited site!
Hope the damage could be soon recovered with help around.
Thanks for sharing the news.

Posted 18-08-2018 17:33

Lohita Swaminathan says :
Sad to see the loss of lives and the huge damage. Hope the governments and people resort to greener living to improve climate conditions.
Posted 17-08-2018 23:28

Aaditya Singh says :
Would like to share a link to this cartoon that I came across. By no means, it intends to make fun of the plight of those affected by the floods in' God's own country', as Kerala is often called, but it should wake us up from our slumber. I hope such meaningful prints in mass media can push governments and people alike towards climate action. Please follow the link to view the cartoon.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/humour/cartoons/line-of-no-control/Kerala-rains-Man-made-fury/cartoonshow/65416483.cms
Posted 17-08-2018 18:11

Aaditya Singh says :
Thanks for the detailed report George. It is really a difficult and sad situation for Keralites, who have always been resilient and strong against any adversity. I have also covered the news briefly in my recent report about the effects of climate change.
Posted 17-08-2018 18:06

Adithiyan Rajan says :
It is truly unfortunate that Kerala is hit with such a disastrous storm. Our prayers are with you. Take care
Posted 17-08-2018 15:36