Kerala Floods 2019: 121 dead, 1,789 Houses Collapsed

The life of people over Kerala is slowly getting back to normal as the rains have reduced. The heavy rains and landslides have resulted in the complete destruction of infrastructure and means of livelihood of people in many places across the state.

The government is still assessing the magnitude of damage due to heavy rains and landslides in the state that is recovering from last year’s flood which claimed the lives of more than 450 people and damaged properties worth Rs 40,000 crore. As per the data from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), as many as 1,789 houses have been damaged fully in between August 8 and 19, whereas the number of partially damaged house is 14,542.

In Malappuram district, a total 795 houses were damaged fully and 3,409 houses were damaged partially. In Wayanad, 535 houses collapsed and 5,435 houses were damaged. Most of the losses are being reported from north Kerala which was hit the worst this time. Among the districts in northern Kerala, Malappuram, with 58 people dead and 13 people missing, and Wayanad are the worst hit. The landslides in Kavalappara in Malappuram and Puthurmala in Wayanad washed off the entire area.

As of Monday, the death toll all across the state rose to 121, while 21 people are still missing.

Also read: Maharashtra Floods: Big Crisis Looms Ahead for Sugarcane Industry

The floods and series of landslides have occurred amid rebuilding activities following floods in 2018. In the 2018 floods, 15,664 houses were fully damaged and of this, 10,840 houses are being rebuilt by the people themselves with the help of state government. Care Home project under the Co-operative Department of the state built 1,990 houses which had collapsed in last year’s flood. About 1,260 houses were sponsored by various organisations and associations.

The rebuilding activities have been taken up by the state government under an initiative “Rebuild Kerala”. Financial assistance- of Rs 4 lakh- for the families who are rebuilding houses on their own is being distributed in three phases. Of these 10,840 families, 10,643 families have gotten the first instalment of financial assistance from the government. For that, the government has distributed Rs 84 crore. In the second phase of instalment, 7,672 families have received the amount so far and for this, the government had spent Rs. 104 crore. The third phase of financial assistance was given to 5,934 families and of this, 4,457 families have completed the rebuilding works.

Under the Care Home scheme, 1,662 houses have been rebuilt so far. With the sponsorship of various organisations and political parties, the construction activities of 545 houses have been completed.

During the devastating floods of last year, 539 families had lost their land along with houses. The landslides and landslips washed off the land and livelihood of these people. In this category, for each family, a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh has been allocated. So far, land for 494 families has been acquired, while the construction work of houses is yet to start.

In total, 6,664 house have been built under various various schemes across the state. 

Also read: Floods 2019: Situation Improves in Kerala and Karnataka, Rescue Operations Continue