This was caused by human blunder. The Kerala government could have prevented it, but did not have the foresight to do so, says Amrita Singh
A report by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), blaming the Kerala's Left Front government for the flood devastation has given fuel to the Opposition to target Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Amrita Singh, chairperson, Special Centre for Disaster Research and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor, said the flood was not caused merely due to excess rain. "This was caused by human blunder. The Kerala government could have prevented it, but did not have the foresight to do so," she said, ahead of releasing a report prepared by her department on Kerala floods.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress said his party had already confirmed that the government was primarily responsible for the floods, and not the rains. "This was the result of unscientific shutter operations of various dams, and opening them without proper alert, he said, demanding a judicial inquiry into the issue.
Besides Prof Amita Singh, others who contributed the survey and preparation of the report include Prof. Sunita Reddy, Gaurika Chugh and Dr Monika Kamthan. The team surveyed the four worst-hit districts — Idukki, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam. They have also demanded a strict action against the disaster management authorities in Kerala for flouting norms. "The Dam Management Authority and Kerala State Disaster Management Authority had no coordination on opening the gates of the dam and controlling the flow of water," the report stated.
Chennithala said it had rained less in Kerala in 2018 than in 1924 when the state was devastated by floods. However, the damage in 2018 was far more than that in 1924, he claimed. The floods killed 231 people and forced more than one million people to move to safer zones, leaving behind a trail of destruction that is officially estimated to be around ?20,000 crore. The report has also pointed out that more than half of Kerala's dams (57%) are hydroelectric projects operated by the Kerala State Electricity Board. The rest are operated by the irrigation department. For both entities, the amount of water stored is motivated by the demand for electricity and irrigation, rather than flood-control measures.
Earlier, environmentalist Madhav Gadgil, who was tasked to write a 2011 report to save the Western Ghats, had also alleged that man-made factors had contributed to the disaster. Unchecked quarrying and construction in ecologically weaker areas contributed to the damage, he added. Allegations have also surfaced that the three shutters of Banasura Sagar dam in Wayanad district were opened without even informing the district collector.
Between August 1 and 19, Kerala received 788.6mm rains compared to the average 287.5mm. In Idukki alone there was a 617% increase in rains. There are 82 dams, including 44 major ones.
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