Sreejith Divakaran
Kerala, right now, is facing an impasse which can be equated with no other calamity of our times. It hasn”t witnessed a similar catastrophe till date. All 14 districts are brutally stricken by the floods. Almost all the dams and reservoirs have been opened. Rivers no longer take their conventionally followed routes to flow.
Death tolls are rising every day. Unprecedented landslides adds to the agony. Rescue mission and attempts to save lives will not stay within the scope of the State. State government and its opposition are joining hands to put forth the best of their efforts to co-ordinate the rescue mission, while this state gears up towards its third sleepless night. District administrations, Panchayats, Municipalities, and non-governmental organisations are sticking together to face atrocities.
But, this mission takes more than us to reach every single person who is in need of help. The state demands full-fledged co-operation from the central government. We need all the aid we deserve. Rivers here are flowing with heavy turbulence, which makes rescue missions impossible with ordinary fibre boats. Emergency contact numbers receive innumerous calls from victims and volunteers.
Humans who are stranded at different isolated stations need to be located and moved out at the earliest. This, however, is not possible with the apparatuses available within the state missionaries alone. We are in need of more choppers, trained rescue experts, plenty of food, medicines, sanitary napkins and if possible, aid has to be sought from international agencies as well.
Central government, at any cost, has to set aside all the political grudge it nurtures towards this state. Kerala might be a state which has always stood against the political party which is in power at the centre right now. We have also made critical interventions asserting our discontent in their politics more than once. Many Sangh Parivar allies have been taking this chance to urge the public not to render any kind of help to the state. Convince your followers not to spread such hate speech, and not to take such brutal stances at this juncture. What Kerala needs right now is immediate aid and emergency funds.
More than 600 people are stranded at Kalady SriSankaracharya Sanskrit University, one of the major higher education centres of the state. Hundreds of students, local residents, pregnant women, infants are all among this 600, who are caught in a vulnerable state. Attempts are made even now to reach out to them, but army boats cannot find their way through the turbulent waters. As it got late, choppers were also unable to get any nearer due to visibility issues. We are in need of experts who are trained to work even in the dark. We need them tonight. There is no time to spare.
Forget everything else, and lend us a helping hand.
Along with the immediate attention from the centre, we also need proper media space which should be ensured by leading national and international media houses.
We are completely aware of the fact that you have lost one of your tallest leaders tonight. We have immense reverence for the former Indian Prime Minister as well. But here, we are talking about the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. This is the question of the existence of a state. If you are back after mourning, please make the most relevant decisions for Kerala at once. We are running out of time.
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Rainfalls have intensified all along the state since yesterday, and has claimed 84 lives within last 48 hours. Highlands are struck with landslides, and midlands are being flushed away by floodwaters. Rescue mission is on full swing, over a lakh have been moved to safe locations, but many are still awaiting the aid to reach them.
Heavy and incessant torrential rainfall has severely struck the district of Pathanamthitta in Kerala. Major centres including Aranmula and Ranni have been left waterlogged since the eve of August 15. Many families are still stranded on rooftops and high buildings, unable to be rescued.
NRDF and Navy has implemented airlifting strategies and fishing boats are put to use for the tedious rescue mission. Even then, many including aged, ailing and infants are caught amidst the flood water at locations that are too remote to ensure immediate assistance.
More than 70% of Pathanamthitta”s total area is taken away by two major rivers of the land- Pampa and Achankoil. These swell with rainwater in monsoon, and floods are at commonplace in the locale. The immense rainfall and inflow of water has pushed the district into a havoc right now, sometimes even making the rescue missions impossible.
Aluva, one of the most significant industrial towns of the state, has also been hit hard by the floods. The locale is on the banks of river Periyar, which is ferociously overflowing since last few days. Aluva town is a major transportation hub with air, rail, road and metro routes at access, and needless to say, densely populated.
Periyar, river with the largest discharge potential in the state, has been showing huge inflow and is now vehemently flooding its banks. Reports state that the river has taken over about 7 kilometers towards both its sides.
As many as 400 students and local residents have been stranded in Kalady Sanskrit University campus since yesterday. Rescue boats are trying to approach the location at the earliest.
The hillside districts of Wayanad and Idukki are now isolated, as transport and communication facilities have been partially suspended. Transportation to Idukki has been restricted, following which the district has become distanced from all the major centres. Munnar hill station is also marked completely isolated.
Landslides have torn apart transportation in Thrissur-Palakkad route, after a portion of Kuthiran hills collapsed here. Five have lost lives in Vadakkanchery, and in Nenmara, seven deaths have been reported.
Water level is rising alarmingly in many dams including Mullaperiyar. State government have requested Tamil Nadu to limit the level to 139 feet, to which TN Chief Minister has not responded positively. Supreme Court has now interfered, seeking an immediate solution.