Flood toll rises as Kerala grapples with downpour

The death toll from floods in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra rose to 95, official figures showed yesterday, as heavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes.
In Kerala, some 42 people died and over 100,000 affected people have been evacuated, the central government’s disaster management cell said, after 80 landslides hit the state in two days.
The state was yesterday opening the gates of Banasurasagar dam in Wayanad district to manage water levels and avoid serious damage.
Last year, more than 200 people were killed and over 5mn affected in one of Kerala’s worst floods in 100 years.
Some residents said the sudden opening of dam gates without proper warnings to those living downstream was a big factor in the devastation.
The state’s busiest airport, Cochin International Airport, closed since Friday as the taxiway was water-logged, will resume operations today morning, the airport management said.
The maximum deaths — 15 — were reported from Wayanad, while Malappuram, Palakkad, Idukki, Kozhikode were other worse-hit districts, officials said yesterday. A red alert for today has been issued in Kasargode, Kannur and Wayanad. More rain is predicted in a few other districts.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan yesterday took stock of the situation. Officials informed him that the maximum number of relief camps had been set up in Kozhikode, followed by Wayanad.
Vijayan had earlier said 80 landslides had been reported from eight worst-hit districts.
Authorities are yet to ascertain the actual number of missing in the landslides at Meppadi in Wayanad district and Kavalapara in Malappuram district.  According to unconfirmed reports, 41 were missing in Kavalapara, he added.
Stating that no aerial survey could be conducted due to inclement weather, Vijayan said as soon as the weather cleared ups the aerial survey could be carried out.
The chief minister said despite heavy rains, water level had increased only three dams and continued to be low in Idukki and Pathanamthitta.
Floodgates of the Banasura dam, which was overflowing, were opened as per the announcement and no damage was reported as those living downstream had been shifted to secure places.
He said all the government officials and departments engaged in relief works would be working on holidays as well.
“Cellphone towers on wheels are being set up in areas where communication has snapped,” said Vijayan.
The railways were working overtime to start trains’ operations and army’s help had been sought for inspection of bridges, he said.
Seasonal monsoon rains from June to September are a crucial lifeline for agrarian Indian society, delivering 70% of the country’s rainfall, but they also bring in their wake death and destruction every year.
“Our entire village under water for the last eight days but still we haven’t got any assistance from the government,” said farmer Prashant Lathe, 35, from a village in one of the flood-hit districts of the western state of Maharashtra.
The district has lost access to all basic amenities such as drinking water, power supply, cooking gas cylinder and petrol for running vehicles, Lathe said.
Excessively strong rains can also harm India’s farming sector, which employs nearly half of its 1.3bn people.
Lathe said his sugar cane plantation of around four acres was submerged.
In Karnataka, home to India’s tech hub Bengaluru, some 24 people have died in what Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said yesterday were the worst floods in 45 years.
Around 1,024 villages have been inundated due to the rains, several dams were reaching their full capacity, and over 200,000 people had been evacuated, he added.
In Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital Mumbai, 29 people have died this week.
The Indian Meteorological Department said heavy to very heavy rain was likely to lash isolated areas of Kerala, parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and some southern states might also see extremely heavy rain.