The beautiful state of Kerala stands dejected as it faces the worst floods of the century. The life of its citizens is in disarray since the floods struck the state. Stay connected with us to know day-to-day news highlights from the flood-hit Kerala.
2nd September 2018: Kerala is already recovering from the devastation caused by the floods when the epidemic of rat fever has engulfed the state. So far, 15 people have lost their life due to this disease. The rat fever spreads from animals to humans. The risk of catching this disease is high during floods. According to the reports, 40 people have been diagnosed with rat fever in Kerala, maximum from Kozhikode.
31st August 2018: The total insurance claims by the people in flood-hit Kerala is anticipated around Rs. 4,500 crores by the four public sector insurance companies. According to AV Girija Kumar who is the Chairman of GIPSA and CMD of Oriental Insurance Co Ltd., this estimated figure is based on the claims received by the insurance companies till Wednesday.
The petition filed regarding the acceptance of foreign aid to carry out relief operations in flood-hit Kerala has been rejected by the Kerala Court. The judge who passed the order rejected it on the grounds of not interfering with the decision of the central government.
30th August 2018: Banking and financial relief in the form of concessional loans will be provided to the Kerala flood victims to help them rebuild their houses. Along with this, banks will not take any charges for the issue of duplicate cheque books, passbooks, account statements, deposit receipts, new debit cards in case of any loss of these documents in the flood situation. Victims can also avail top-up loans from the banks and financial institutions for house repair.
29th August 2018: Rahul Gandhi, Congress president, will be visiting the district of Wayanad in Kerala today to have a look at the flood situation in the area.
The Cochin International Airport will resume its operations from today as the flood-hit Kerala is getting back on its feet.
A high-level delegation will be reviewing the relief and rehabilitation efforts carried out by the banks and insurance companies in the flood-hit Kerala. A meeting for the same will also be held between the central government and the heads of the bank and insurance companies.
28th August 2018: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to provide digital marksheets/migration certificates/pass certificates to the students who have lost these documents in the Kerala floods.
27th August 2018: Many people have begun leaving the relief camps and started returning to their homes to resume their lives. As schools and educational institutions are all set to open from August 29, the relief camps in such places will be shifted to other buildings.
26th August 2018: While addressing India in his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the people of Kerala that the whole nation stands with them in their difficult times. He also appreciated the efforts of the armed forces engaged in carrying out rescue operations in the flood-hit state.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also requested all the Malayalees to donate their one month salary to the rebuilding of the state.
25th August 2018: Despite shaken by the worst floods of the century, the netizens of Kerala at the relief camps are celebrating Onam with full vigor and joy. Some relief camps will also provide free lunch to the people without homes on the auspicious occasion of Onam.
24th August 2018: The Cochin International Airport will resume its operations from August 29 onwards as flood water at the premises of the airport has receded. Earlier, the date declared by the CIAL was August 26 but later got extended by the authority by three more days.
The business of the vegetables, fruits, and flowers sellers has witnessed a major blow due to the cancellation of Onam celebrations in the flood-hit state.
23rd August 2018: The Central Government and the Kerala state government are at loggerheads over accepting of foreign remittances towards Kerala floods. The central government had earlier rejected the donations offered by some nations towards the rebuilding of the state. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would be meeting PM Modi to convince him to accept the donation of Rs. 700 crore from UAE where the population of Indians is estimated to be around three million.
22nd August 2018: India has refused to accept any donations from foreign countries towards floods in Kerala. The countries-Qatar, UAE, and the Maldives have offered financial assistance to help the victims of the Kerala floods.
A Cyclone Warning Centre will be set up by the central government in Thiruvananthapuram due to ensuing harsh weather conditions and tropical cyclones in the Karnataka and Kerala coasts. This will help in strengthening the forecasting by the Indian Meteorological Department in Kerala.
21st August 2018: Train services in the flood-hit Kerala have partially resumed after persistent rainfall from the last few weeks. The flood water has started receding from the railway tracks and platforms. The Palakkad-Shoranur-Kozhikkode and Kayankulam-Kottayam- Ernakulam sections have begun to operate. The services of special trains have been connected from Trivandrum- Ernakulam section.
The ATM services and phone connectivity are now functional in some areas. The electricity board and water authority in Kerala are making efforts to resume supply of electricity and tap water in some of the areas. Fishermen have come to the rescue of the stranded people with their boats stuck in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, and Ernakulam districts and are assisting in rescue operations. People stuck in inaccessible areas are being located with the help of drones.
The Kerala Chief Minister announced today that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has donated a hefty amount of Rs. 700 crore towards Kerala flood relief funds. The Gulf nation also made a declaration a few days back regarding the setting up of a national emergency committee to help Kerala in this grave situation. This committee will consist of Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) on the chair and include representatives from UAE’s humanitarian organizations.
20th August 2018: The Kochi Naval runway is opened today for the operations of small commercial aircrafts. An Alliance Air ATR plane has landed at the INS Garuda naval air station today morning. Kochi airport is likely to remain closed till August 26, though the flood water has begun to recede.
As the red alert over several districts of Kerala has been lifted by IMD due to no rain in the last 24 hours, the stranded people have begun to return to their homes. But there are still at least 1,000 people stranded in the five villages of Chengannur in the flood-hit Kerala.
There are 3,700 medical camps that have been set up by the central government all over Kerala to monitor spreading of any contagious diseases.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority, 60 tonnes of medicines from Hindon and the facility of 70 doctors from Mumbai have arrived at Thiruvananthapuram.
19th August 2018: As the Kerala state is relieved of the torrential rains, for now, the Indian Meteorological Department has lifted its red alert from most of its districts. But there are still some districts with orange and yellow alerts in Kerala as danger still hovers over them.
The rescue operations in the state are taking place in full swing. Airlifting of the stranded people is being initiated by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy with the help of helicopters. They are also engaged in the task of providing food supplies to the flood victims. A temporary bridge is also being constructed in Palakkad by Rapid Action Force to obstruct flood water.
The government of Jammu and Kashmir declared a financial assistance of Rs. 2 crores to lend support to the flood victims in Kerala today.
The maximum fare of the flights running to and fro from Kerala has been restricted somewhere around Rs. 10,000 for longer routes and Rs. 8,000 for shorter routes.
