Picture Courtesy : Deccan Chronicle
Kerala has been hit hard by torrential rains. It has ravaged the state . On a single day as many 30 people lost their lives , swamping homes, destroying roads, and disrupting air and rail traffic in many places . This is said to be the worst flood to hit the state since 1924.
All but one of the state’s 14 district’s are on high alert. The death toll too has gone up. According to reports at the filing of this story. the tally now stands at close to 150.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit the state to take stock of the situation. He is likely to leave for Kerala after the last rites of former prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan again this morning and assured him of all central help in tackling the situation.
“We discussed the flood situation in the state. Have asked Defence Ministry to further step up the rescue and relief operations across the state. Praying for the safety and well-being of the people of Kerala,” Modi tweeted.
Had a telephone conversation with Kerala CM Shri Pinarayi Vijayan just now. We discussed the flood situation across the state and reviewed rescue operations.
Later this evening, I will be heading to Kerala to take stock of the unfortunate situation due to flooding. @CMOKerala
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 17, 2018
Meanwhile , Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP for Thiruvananthapuram on August 15, Independence Day expressed anguish at the “grossly inadequate” coverage by the national media of the flood situation in Kerala, “compared to the gravity of the situation here”.
“The flood situation here in Kerala is really bad. The national media coverage has been grossly inadequate compared to the gravity of the situation here. It is a sad reflection of the truism that the farther you are from Delhi, the less you matter in today’s India,” tweeted Tharoor
The flood situation here in Kerala is really bad. The national media coverage has been grossly inadequate compared to the gravity of the situation here. It is a sad reflection of the truism that the farther you are from Delhi, the less you matter in today’s India. pic.twitter.com/bohOK9jpda
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 15, 2018
5 units of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) have reached Thiruvananthapuram on Friday morning and deployed for rescue operations in flood-hit Kerala. 35 teams are expected to reach there on Friday, the ANI reported.
Taking note of the gravity of flood situation in Kerala, the Supreme Court ordered the disaster management panel of the Mullaperiyar Dam to urgently decide on lowering the water level by three feet to 139 feet. The directive came after Chief Minister Pinnarayi Vijayan wrote to his Tamil Nadu counterpart K Palaniswami seeking release of water from the over 122-year-old dam to ensure its safety. The dam in Kerala’s Idukki district is owned and maintained by Tamil Nadu.
