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