Kerala floods: IMD data shows it sent prior warnings about heavy rain, refutes Pinarayi Vijayan's claim

Even as Kerala is trying to gauge the magnitude of the losses it suffered nearly a week after the unprecedented floods and landslides unleashed a trail of destruction in the state killing 360 people, a bitter war of words has begun between the opposition and the government over the causes that led to this calamity of this nature. While the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have chosen to hold Pinarayi Vijayan government responsible for the disaster, the chief minister is taking refuge by citing extraordinary heavy rains and blaming the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for the allegedly delayed forecast. The Opposition grilled him during the special session of the state Assembly on 30 August for the government’s failure in not opening the dams before water reaching the brim. Vijayan accused the IMD of not giving any prior hint about extremely heavy rain on 14 and 15 August. However, an IMD official at Thiruvananthapuram said they had issued Red Alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall) in Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts on 14 August and in all 14 districts on 15 August. The official said that IMD had also issued Orange Alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated places) in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts on 14 August. Red Alert was in force in Idukki and Wayanad, the two worst-affected districts, even on 13 August, he added. [caption id=“attachment_5087231” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Pinarayi Vijayan. PTI[/caption] While replying to the opposition allegations, the chief minister said that the government had taken all precautions as per IMD’s forecast. But as the water level in the reservoirs increased swiftly and unexpectedly, there was no option but to open the dams and release the excess water, he said. Vijayan claimed that the IMD forecast for 9 to 15 August was an average rainfall of 9.85 cms, whereas the state received 35.22 cms during that period. He said that there was no alert of ‘extremely heavy rainfall of this magnitude. Thiruvananthapuram IMD director K Santhosh said that Red Alert implied severe rain. He said that the department had given sufficient warning to the government about severe rain in eight districts on 14 August and in all districts on 15 August. The Red Alert includes a call for action against disaster, he added.

Joseph C Mathew, who served as advisor to former chief minister V S Achuthanandan, said there were factual errors in the chief minister’s statement. He said he had documents to prove that the IMD had alerted the government timely about the grave situation.

“The government is trying to run away from its responsibility over the disaster. Most of the dams had sufficient water to meet the irrigation and power generation needs. If the dam managers had not waited till the water reached the brim to open the dams, the disaster would not have occurred,” he said. Copy of IMD weather forecast for 13, 14 and 15 August Mathew said that dams were constructed not for the purpose of irrigation and power alone but also to check floods. Unfortunately, the dam managers gave last priority to the third objective and invited a calamity devastating the entire state. Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court has registered a public interest litigation (PIL) suo motu on the basis of a letter received from a private individual terming mismanagement of the dams as the main reason. Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy initiated the proceedings after Justice V Chitambaresh forwarded a letter he received from N R Joseph, a civil engineer from Chalakudy in Thrissur district, alleging criminal negligence on the part of authorities in opening 22 dams together on 15 August. The Congress-led opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) insisted that the flood was a ‘man-made disaster’ and called for a judicial inquiry to fix responsibility and suggest measures to avert such a disasters in future. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala pointed out that the state had received an increase of only 41.44 percent rainfall this time. The flood situation worsened not because of the downpour, but due to the opening of the shutters of 44 dams. He said that the flood had caused huge loss to human lives and property because the shutters of most dams were opened without prior warning. The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) has been defending the chief minister citing floods in areas where there are no dams. Party secretariat member K N Balagopal pointed out that the Achankovil and Manimala rivers had flooded even though there are no dams in these rivers. “This shows that the flood was not caused by release of water from the reservoirs alone. The flood that wreaked havoc was due to the incessant rain that lashed the state between 9 and 15 August,” he said. P C Vishnunath, a former Congress MLA from Chengannur, contested his claim saying that the flood in Achankovil and Manimala rivers was caused not by rain alone but also by the flood in the Pampa, which is connected with the two rivers. The Pampa river has 11 dams. He said that the entire Kuttanad region was inundated after the dams were opened. “The shutters of some of these dams were opened even without informing the district administration. Most people came to know about it only after water entered their homes after midnight,” Vishnunath said adding that those responsible for the calamity must be held accountable.

In fact, the main prayer in the letter Joseph wrote to the high court judge is action against the ministers and officers responsible for the tragedy. He has alleged criminal negligence on the part of the concerned authorities. The court converted the letter into a PIL saying that it seemed the petitioner espoused a public cause. The court noted that the letter provided an analysis of what and who caused the floods substantiating it with facts and figures. The petitioner prayed for action against the guilty as it will make others in similar positions vigilant of their acts. The letter said this was also necessary to help the victims obtain adequate compensation for the damage and losses they have suffered in the flood. This cannot be decided by or left to the discretion of the government as it has caused this catastrophe, the letter said.