Kerala floods: Khalsa Aid volunteers reach Kochi, set up Langar to feed 2000 people

 As Kerala reels under its worst flood in nearly a century, Sikh volunteers from the Khalsa Aid International, the UK based philanthropist group, have reached the state to help the flood victims. Their group’s volunteers from their Indian wing reached Kochi and have set up a Langar to feed food for 2000 people. With the flood situation continues to be precarious, people from all around the country are doing their bit to help the people in distress.

Kerala floods LIVE: Rahul Gandhi meets flood-affected people in Chengannur 

 

 With water starting to recede in some of the flooded parts of Kerala, restoration process has been expedited in the state.

The Chief Minister Officer (CMO) in Kerala on Saturday tweeted that at least 1, 31, 683 houses wrecked in the floods have been cleaned, which is 31 per cent of the total flood-hit houses.

It also added, "Electricity restored for 2.3 million connections of the 2.5 million disrupted. 14,314 transformers (out of 16158 affected) are now functioning."

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday gave details saying, "Rs.10,000 will be transferred to the bank accounts of people who will leave relief camps and also to the people who have already left."

The Central Government has provided Rs.6 billion as advance assistance. 

Out of a total population of about 34.8 million, more than 5.4 million or one-sixth of the population of Kerala, had been directly affected by the floods.

As many as 357 people have lost their lives so far, with the state facing a loss of Rs 195.12 billion and over 10,00,000 people are packed into relief camps.

On Thursday, the Centre announced that additional funds would be released from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) on assessment of the damages in the flood-hit state as per laid down procedure.
 

That states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and several others have extended help to the state. Celebrities from various fields too offered aid in the wake of the situation.

 With water starting to recede in some of the flooded parts of Kerala, restoration process has been expedited in the state.

The Chief Minister Officer (CMO) in Kerala on Saturday tweeted that at least 1, 31, 683 houses wrecked in the floods have been cleaned, which is 31 per cent of the total flood-hit houses.

It also added, "Electricity restored for 2.3 million connections of the 2.5 million disrupted. 14,314 transformers (out of 16158 affected) are now functioning."

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday gave details saying, "Rs.10,000 will be transferred to the bank accounts of people who will leave relief camps and also to the people who have already left."

The Central Government has provided Rs.6 billion as advance assistance. 

Out of a total population of about 34.8 million, more than 5.4 million or one-sixth of the population of Kerala, had been directly affected by the floods.

As many as 357 people have lost their lives so far, with the state facing a loss of Rs 195.12 billion and over 10,00,000 people are packed into relief camps.

On Thursday, the Centre announced that additional funds would be released from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) on assessment of the damages in the flood-hit state as per laid down procedure.
 

That states of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and several others have extended help to the state. Celebrities from various fields too offered aid in the wake of the situation.

Kerala floods: This is how much CM relief fund has received till now

 

Several people across the country have come forward in the past few days to help Kerala residents who are trying to rebuild their lives after witnessing the worst floods of the century. The help has come in all forms -- food, medicines, clothes and money.
In a special one-day assembly session, Pinarayi Vijayan said that the chief minister distress relief fund (CMDRF) has received Rs 730 crore in contributions till now.
The amount, collected in around 15 days, is 21.7 per cent more than the central government's initial grant of Rs 600 crore.
Here is how you can help flood victims in Kerala
Kerala received 352.2 mm of rain between August 9 and 15 -- three times more than the actual prediction, the CM said.

Kerala floods: MLAs call out for help as PM Modi reaches state to take stock of situation

 he flood situation in Kerala continues to remain precarious as the death toll from the fresh onslaught of rains since August 8 has climbed to 173. The deadliest deluge in close to a century has dealt a severe blow to the scenic state, wrecking its tourism industry, destroying standing crops in thousands of hectares and inflicting huge damage to infrastructure.

Personnel of the three services, besides the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) resumed the gigantic task of evacuating people stranded on rooftops, highlands where hills came crashing down blocking roads and cutting them off the rest of the world, and those marooned in villages that have turned into islands.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kerala late Friday; he is likely to conduct an aerial survey of the flood-ravaged areas on Saturday. The red alert now remains in 12 out of 14 districts after it was withdrawn from Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod. The Indian Meteorological Department (MeT) on Thursday indicated a slight reduction in rain intensity over Kerala in the next 48 hours. In districts like Kozhikode, the situation is improving, however, central Kerala is still in bad shape.

Kerela : Relief and Monetary Aid

In late July 2018, severe flooding affected Kerala state in India due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season. Kerala's worst floods in nearly a century, over 373 people died within a fortnight, while at least 280,679 people were evacuated, mainly from Chengannur, Pandanad, Aranmula, Aluva, Chalakudy, Kuttanad, Pandalam and with all 14 districts of the state placed on high alert.
Thirty-five out of the forty-two dams within the state were opened for the first time in history and all five overflow gates of the Idukki Dam were opened at the same time after a gap of 26 years.Heavy rains in Wayanad and Idukki have caused severe landslides and have left the hilly districts isolated.

 

 Causes - Kerala received heavy monsoon rainfall on the mid evening of August 8 resulting in dams filling to capacity; in the first 24 hours of rainfall the state received 310 mm (12 in) of rain. Almost all dams have been opened since the water level has risen close to overflow level due to heavy rainfall, flooding local low-lying areas. For the first time in the state's history, 35 of its 42 dams have been opened. Most of the regions affected by this monsoon were classified as ecologically-sensitive zones (ESZs) by the the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, the Gadgil Committee. Most of the recommendations and directions by the commitee was either neglected or rejected. Chairman of the committee Madhav Gadgil accused the state government and its irresponsible environmental policy for the recent landslides and floods. He called it a "man-made calamity .

Impact - A state official told AFP that 370 people have died, while the The Economic Times in India has reported that 33,000 people have been rescued. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has placed the state in a red alert as a result of the intense flooding. A number of water treatment plants were forced to cease pumping water, resulting in poor access to clean water, especially in northern districts of the region.Over 5,645 relief camps have been opened at various locations to accommodate the flood victims. It is estimated that 1,247,496 people have found shelter in such camps. The flooding has affected hundreds of villages, destroyed an estimated 10,000 km (6,200 mi) of roads and thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed.

 

Monetary Aid - 

• The Kerala government started a donation website for flood victims. Websites like Google, Facebook and e-commerce websites Amazon, Flipkart, BigBasket, Airtel Bank and Paytm , Tez are also providing a feature for donation for relief efforts.

• Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi announced a sum of ₹500 crore (US$73 million) as interim relief for Kerala on 18 August 2018. This is in addition to ₹100 crore (US$15 million) announced by the Home Minister on 12 August 2018.

• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed that Vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE's Armed Forces HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed solidarity on Twitter and also offered an amount of ₹700 crore (US$100 million) crores as an assistance towards relief work
  
• Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani has announced a donation of ₹21 crore (US$3.1 million) to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund, besides relief materials worth around ₹50 crore (US$7.3 million)^.

• Star India and its employees increased the donation amount from Rs. 2 crores to Rs. 5 crores along with its parent company 21st Century Fox for flood relief and rehabilitation efforts
• An Indian polymath & bollywood action Sushant Singh Ratput, has donated ₹1 crore (US$150,000) to the Kerala Chief Minister's relief fund on behalf of an instagram fan & sends his team for relief activity in Kerala.

• KP Hussain, chairman of Fathima Healthcare Group, has donated ₹1 crore (US$150,000) to the Kerala Chief Minister's relief fund, while another ₹4 crore (US$580,000) he has allocated for medical relief aid.

• Billionaire doctor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil will donate ₹50 crore (US$7.3 million) for the relief of flood victims by setting up a project to fight housing, education and healthcare issues. This is the largest individual contribution so far.

• UAE-based Indian tycoons and businesses have donated ₹18.85 crore (US$2.7 million) so far to Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation's relief fund. Among those to donate were Indian businessmen Yusuff Ali M.A., chairman and managing director of LuLu Group International, and Dr. B. R. Shetty, founder and chairman of NMC Health, who each gave ₹9.78 crore (US$1.4 million).

• Many Members of Parliament, Members of State Legislative Assemblies and Councils, civil servants and government employees across the country have also donated their one month's salary and/or allowances towards Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.
  
• India captain Virat Kohli dedicated his team's test win over England at Trent Bridge to the flood victims of Kerala.Indian team planning to donate match fees for Kerala flood victims

Chief Ministers of almost all the states and UTs have pledged for monetary contributions from their respective state funds in addition to dispatch of various relief materials such as potable water, blankets, packed food, rice, water-purifying machines, and healthcare products. Monetary contributions are listed below

1, Andhra Pradesh           10 crore

2. Arunachal Pradesh       3 crore

3. Assam                          3 crore

4. Bihar                            10 crore

5. Chattisgarh                   3 crore

6. Delhi                             10 crore

7. Goa                               5 crore

8. Gujarat                         10 crore

9. Haryana                        10 crore

10. Himachal Pradesh       5 crore

11. Jharkhand                   5 crore

12. Karnataka                   10 crore

 13. Madhya Pradesh        10 crore

14. Maharashtra                20 crore

15. Manipur                      2 crore

16. Odisha                        10 crore

17. Puducherry                 1 crore

18. Punjab                         5 crore

19. Rajasthan                    10 crore

 20. Tamilnadu                   10 crore 

21. Telangana                     25 crore 

22. Tripura                         1 crore

23. UttarPradesh                15 crore

24. Uttarakhand                  5 crore

25. West Bengal                 10 crore

Responses - At a press conference on 11 August, Chief Secretary Tom Jose said, "Things  are well under control. The government is on top of the situation."Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey and offered federal support to Kerala. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the floods as "something that has never happened before in the history of Kerala" and placed some of the blame on neighbouring Tamil Nadu for not releasing excess water from the State-operated Mullaperiyar dam, which worsened the situation.

  By - : 1. Parmeet Singh Lamba

            2. Harmanjot Singh Johal

            3. Anshul Rajta

            4. Sonam Wangmo