“God’s Own Country Lashed by Mother Nature…”
The intensity of the South West Monsoon varies from time to time. And this year it has lashed its fury on God’s Own Country. Since the monsoons have begun, the wrath of Mother Nature has been in its full fury. The whole of Kerala has been affected by heavy rainfall. Water levels have risen up, and have caused heavy flooding in Wayanad, Palakkad, Alappuzha, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Kottayam. The monsoon has been pouring in since June but it turned heavy since the second week of July. Many series of landslides occurred at the eastern hill areas taking away lives of the people and damaging properties. People have been stranded in interior areas of Kozhikode, and most of them have been shifted to relief camps.
Kerala is known as “God’s own country”. It is one of the most beautiful places in India. It is known for its picturesque landscapes, lush green forests, valleys and the ghats on the west coast. It’s also famous for its beautiful beaches, backwaters, lagoons, waterfalls and for its rich traditional arts, martial arts, temples, and churches. Its a great attraction for both the tourists from India and other foreign countries. Kerala is blessed with the immense natural beauty of rivers and lakes. There are 44 rivers and 33 dams and reservoirs. We are lucky that we are living in God’s Own country, and we get to experience the biggest blessings of nature. Kerala has 14 districts and its divided into 3 parts – Northern Kerala(Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode ), Central Kerala (Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Malappuram, Kottayam) and Southern Kerala (Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta)
Many series of landslides occurred at the eastern hill areas taking away lives of the people and damaging properties. People have been stranded in interior areas of Kozhikode, and most of them have been shifted to relief camps. The Cherupuzha, Marippuzha, Muthappanpuzha etc have flooded the regions. Wayanad was cut off, as all the ghat roads have suffered damages due to mudslides at Thamarserry pass, Kuttiadi pass, and Palchuram pass. Heavy widespread damage has borne the brunt of the wrath of nature in low lying areas like Manathavadi and Vythiri. A massive destruction has taken place in the northern districts of Kerala. Heavy rains still continue in parts of eastern hill areas of Kannur. The non-stop rains and the swelling up of water levels in the Valapattanam river have affected Ayyankunnu & Aralam villages in Iritty taluk.
In central Kerala, in Malappuram, many landslides have taken place in succession and have caused a large scale of destruction. Chaliyar river and its tributaries have taken the brunt of the non-stop rains and many slides in the hilly forests at Nilambur. The canal streams and rivers have swelled and have caused heavy flooding. Several bridges have collapsed disrupting traffic. And life has come to standstill, the Chaliyar river has swollen up to over 10ft. The Naduvath-Vallambaram road at Nayattukallu near Wandoor caved in due to the raging waters. Palakkad district too has been affected by heavy rains. The Malampuzha dam shutters were opened when it reached the greatest level. The traffic was affected between Ottapalam and Palakkad. The overflowing waters from river Kalpathy submerged the Kadakkmkunnu bridge.
The torrential rains have taken a toll in Kuttanad the rice bowl of Kerala. The low lying area Kuttanad is submerged under water for a month. The water level has risen as the shutters of Kakki dam in Pathanamthitta have been opened. Alappuzha district has been flooded. 1000 of hectares of agricultural lands have been destroyed. Alappuzha and Kottayam have been declared as flood-affected districts. And they are still waterlogged. Several coastal areas near Cherthala, Ambalapuzha, and Karthikapally have been battered
Kerala is known for its abundant water resources. A number of dams have been built on important rivers like Periyar, Bharatapuzha, Pamba, Chaliyar to get the potential from theses flowing rivers. Idukki dam is a double curvature arch dam which is operated and maintained by KSEB. This dam is supplemented with two other smaller dams Cheruthonni dam and Kulamavu dam all these create a reservoir. It is one of the highest dams in Asia. The Malampuzha dam the largest in the state is used for irrigation and drinking. The Mullaperiyaar dam is the oldest dam which was commisioned in 1875. Peechi dam is an irrigation dam and supplies drinking water to the people of a Thrissur. Idamalyar dam in Ennakal is also operated by KSEB.
The heavy rains, the series of landslides, the heavy floods all over the state. And the increase of water level in reservoirs nearing the danger mark in catchment areas. Have forced the govt to open the shutters of 27 dams for the first time in Kerala history. Malampuzha dam was opened for the first time after 11 years, all the 4 shutters were opened. Heavy rains in Ernakulam forced the authorities to raise the shutters of the Idamalayar dam as the catchment area had to drain excess water. The authorities for the first time opened all the 5 shutters of the Cheruthonni dam. The raging waters have destroyed many roads and everything that has come its way.
The continuing rains have caused widespread destruction across the district of Palakkad. Power and water supply have been affected. Acute drinking water crisis has gripped over Palakkad. As the flash floods in Kalpathy river have burst the pipelines that carry drinking water from the Malampuzha Reservoir. Water supply has stopped at Kalapthy, Olavancode etc. Drinking water has been affected in Kochi. As muck and slush creep into the pumping units in Aluva.
This has been the worst flood in the history of Kerala. Normal life has been thrown out of gear as continuous rains have disrupted the road and rail services. The rain has been severe with many rain-related deaths. The situation is grave as the whole state is flooded with raging waters and swelling rivers on one side and the rough sea on the other. Nearly 53,000 people have been put up in relief camps. The Army, Navy, Airforce, Coastal Guards and the NDRF(National Disaster Respond Force) have been deployed and the rescue activities are in full swing. Relief measures and flood relief activities have been designated to district collectors and other officers. And the relief measures are in progress in all the affected districts in Kerala. The center and our neighboring states have come forward and offered help. To ensure relief and rehabilitation measures for the flood-ravaged areas and reconstruction of devastated areas. Many NGO’s have come into action and are active in almost all flood-affected areas in Kerala.
The sharp showers have been continuing and have resulted in the closure of schools all over. The aftermath of the floods will leave an indelible scene on the roads as most of them have been washed away. The rains are sure to bring about health issues and drinking water would be the primary concern. Contaminated water could lead to acute diarrhea and other gastric issues. The loss of agricultural land and destruction of homes has rendered people homeless.
I would like to point out here that there are people who still live with a very trivial mindset even when the worst tragedies strike. Why do we not think of others? The police had to tie screens on the Marthanda Varma Bridge to prevent chaos and stop people from taking selfies. It’s sad to see the authorities try to manage this type of a crowd when they have plenty else on their hand to do. its a big request to my friends if you do see such characters please try and refrain them from doing such things in future.
Sad to see the unfortunate way Kerala had to suffer in the hands of nature. A scientific study by the state authorities with the help of the citizens is required to prevent such incidents in the future. Of course nature cannot be challenged outright but corrective measures such as evacuation of population from venerable areas and a total revamp of city and town planning will at least avoid nature’s fury in the future. This is the right time for Kerala to start. A new beginning towards a safe and secure future.
Thank you Nobu, this year we have been severely hit…yes am sure, we will all join hands with the state authorities to rebuild our beautiful state…
A great idea to write about the current flood situation in Kerala.Well written!
Thank you molu…
Nice one
Thank you Lachu…
Well written Priya.
Its high time we realise our wrong deeds. If we love d nature it will definitely reciprocate.
Thank you chechi…hope and pray everything will subside and no further damage would happen…
Really good article and very informative. Such a sad situation let’s hope the rains subside soon.
thank you, Laurente’…its clearing and keeping our fingers crossed…