Picture : Livemint
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the state has suffered an overall loss of Rs 8,316 crore in the floods. This figure is according to a preliminary assessment of the Kerala flood situation, based on which a memorandum has also been submitted to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
CM Vijayan said that nearly 20,000 houses have been fully damaged while nearly 10,000 km of state PWD roads have been damaged in the Kerala floods.
In a Facebook post, CM Vijayan said that Kerala has also urged the Centre to provide Rs 400 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund. This is in addition to Rs 820 crore which was sanctioned earlier during the first stage of the monsoon. He took to twitter and appealed to people to donate
Contributed ₹1 lakh to CMDRF. Our State is facing an unprecedented crisis due to the floods. Rebuilding affected areas is a Herculean task. I urge all of you to contribute generously to relief efforts. pic.twitter.com/ix7ptRTHsr
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 11, 2018
Kerala is going through its worst flood crisis since 1924. Ten out of the total 14 districts in the state have been affected badly leading to the opening of 27 dams.
Started visiting the flood affected areas of Idduki, Alappuzha, Ernakulam,Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram. Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, Cheif Secretary Tom… https://t.co/QJHwj1nG2O
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 11, 2018
The Southwest monsoon has claimed 186 lives so far Kerala. Two hundred and eleven incidents of landslides or mudslides have been reported all over the state. Thousands are still in relief camps while five are still missing.
Earlier , Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, after meeting flood victims in Kerala and taking an aerial overview of the situation in the state, announced an additional Rs 100 crore flood relief.
The Home Minister also approved the release of the second installment in advance for the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to supplement the efforts of the state government. Flash floods due to incessant rains have wreaked havoc in several districts of the state.
From past few days, normal life in many parts has been disrupted. The areas which were worst hit are Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Idukki, and Mallapuram districts.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced that passports damaged in floods in Kerala will be replaced free of cost by the government.
“There are unprecedented floods in Kerala causing huge damage. We have decided that as the situation becomes normal, passports damaged on account (of) floods shall be replaced free of charge. Please contact the concerned Passport Kendras,” Swaraj tweeted.
Kerala has been reeling under massive floods in which over 35 people have lost their lives and thousands of people were rendered homeless. Around 10 of the 14 districts in state have been affected by the floods.
