Rain subsided a little in Kerala on Saturday after pounding several districts for three continuous days triggering widespread landslides and flooding in which 36 lives were lost but it would take many more days if not weeks for life to return to normal for people of the affected areas. The heavy monsoon showers have left behind a trail of destruction, the real extent of which is yet to be calculated.
Bringing relief to people of Idukki and Ernakulam districts, the water level in the giant three-dam Idukki hydel reservoir system came down considerably as the Kerala State Electricity Board kept draining out its water at a rate of 750,000 liters per second (750 cumecs — cubic meters per second) through the five shutters in the Cheruthoni dam.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accompanied by Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, Chief Secretary, Revenue Secretary and State police chief, carried out an aerial survey of the rain-ravaged areas in Idukki, Wayanad and Ernakulam districts on Saturday. He also visited relief camps in Wayanad and Ernakulam.
The Chief Minister announced a financial assistance of `4 lakh each for the families of those killed in rain fury. An amount of 4 lakh would be given to each of those who had lost homes and `6 lakh each to those whose land had been lost, he informed while Power Minister MM Mani said that the Government would be asked to formulate a comprehensive package.
At the same time, allegations came up that the chief Minister’s visit to the relief camps in Ernakulam were a farce as he had spent only eight minutes in the two camps he had visited.
“Nobody had got a chance to inform him about our hardships. Why did he come hereij To meet us or to stretch his legs after the helicopter rideij” asked a woman at a relief camp furiously.
The flood situation did not prevent thousands of people on Saturday from performing Vavu Bali, the Hindu ritual of making offerings to the departed souls on the Amavasi day of Karkataka month of the Malayalam calendar.
The ritual was performed on the banks of swollen rivers and beaches under strict controls in the context of a red alert issued following the rain fury.