Kerala Rains Update: Tamil Nadu releases water without warning, toll in Kerala reaches 324

What shall we call the floods in Kerala — a natural disaster or man-made calamity? First, it was excessive rainfall that killed 167 people till Friday morning and the death toll rocketing to 324 due to the release of water from dams in Tamil Nadu — and that too without warning.

As per the official clarification from CMO Kerala, gates of 80 dams have been opened which subsequently took the toll to 324. Also, the number of people in 1500-plus relief camps increased from 1.5 lakh to 2.23 lakh. This might sound inhuman, but well-placed sources informed The Live Mirror that Tamil Nadu released the water from dams, towards Kerala, ‘without warning’.

Speaking to this website, the source said on condition of anonymity, “Tamil Nadu doesn’t care about human lives. They have released water from dams without warning.” This took place as water flowed into the Poringalkuthu reservoir in Kerala from the Parambikulam and TN Sholayar dams. This resulted in the Chalakudy river overflowing and the town — Wayanad, Palakkad and Thekkady — flooding.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan shared the minute details of the flood via Twitter and appealed to people for a generous donation to revive the situation.

Kerala is facing its worst flood in 100 years. 80 dams opened, 324 lives lost and 223139 people are in about 1500+ relief camps. Your help can rebuild the lives of the affected. Donate to https://t.co/FjYFEdOsyl #StandWithKerala.

— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) August 17, 2018

For the people of Kerala, the road to recovery is going to be a long one. Your help no matter how small will be a step to restore normalcy. Donate to:

Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund
NO: 67319948232
Bank: State Bank of India  
IFSC : SBIN0070028
SWIFT CODE : SBININBBT08 pic.twitter.com/cbsFwRplsG

— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) August 17, 2018

Earlier, to resolve the crisis, the Supreme Court on Friday suggested that the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), Disaster Management sub-committee and the court-appointed committee should meet to explore the possibility of reducing the water level in the Mullaperiyar Dam reservoir to 139 feet.

Observing the matter,  a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice DY Chandrachud said: “We are not experts. We are leaving it to the committee… to bring down the water level to 139 feet from 142 feet at the Mullaperiyar Dam”. This observation was made after the Centre informed that the sub-committee had decided to reduce the water level by releasing it.

However, the serious concern is the loss of 868 lives in seven states owing to heavy downpour this year. According to the Union Home Ministry statement issued on Friday, over 32,500 hectares of crops were damaged and 2.11 lakh people in 14 districts have been badly affected, in Kerala alone.