Red alert in Kerala as flood situation worsens

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It was a scenic tea plantation village with green pastures, lofty hills and plunging valleys till Thursday evening.

But, incessant rains and massive landslides have turned Puthumala at Meppadi in Wayanad district into a pool of mud and filth, flattening the hilly curves, uprooting trees and washing away all signs of an inhabited village.

Located over 20 km from district headquarters of Kalpetta here,Puthumala was rocked by a series of massive landslides following unprecedented rains on Thursday and Friday.

In Malappuram, at least 40 people were trapped in their flattened houses after a major landslide that came to light only on Friday, more than 14 hours after the mishap.

At least 30 people have been killed and more than 50 missing as the flood situation in Kerala aggravated on Friday, crippling rail, road and air traffic in many parts of the state. At least five districts, including Wayanad, Malappuram, Iduki, Kasargode, and Kozhikode are facing a flood-like situation. More than 1,000 people are marooned in Wayanad alone, agencies reported. Over 22,000 persons have been displaced in the past week due to floods and rains.

“The metrological department has declared red alert in seven districts on Saturday and we are on full alert. We have asked all government servants to cancel their leaves and report to duty. We have set up control rooms in every district,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters on Friday.

This comes exactly a year after 400 died and millions were displaced in the worst floods that the state had seen in a century.

On Friday, two major landslides were reported in Wayanad and Malappuram districts and local residents said more than 50 people are missing. Vijayan said 24 landslides were reported in different parts of the state.

“We are doing everything possible to save lives. We have learned many lessons from last year’s tragedy. So this time we are more vigilant and prepared,” he said.

 A number of houses and other buildings including a temple and a mosque were destroyed in the Wayanad landslide.

A portion of a towering hill came down completely and huge mound of earth between two hills caved in,grounding every structure in the valley, eyewitnesses said.

Over 100 acres of land and plantations and structures were suspected to have been grounded.

As the whole area was isolated and communication facilities were totally cut off, a full-fledged rescue operation could not be taken up on Thursday night though Army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel were rushed to the spot.

As the roads were blocked, rescue officials had to trek forest paths to reach the places devastated by the landslides.

Local people said at least 40 people, including migrant workers lived in the colony of plantation workers, were present when the catastrophe happened.

“I came out of my house hearing a startling sound from the hills. It was shocking to see a huge mound of earth caving in and big boulders coming down along with water gushing from above. I don’t remember anything other than that,” a local woman from Meppadi, said.

She was one among several people who escaped unhurt from Puthumala and was later shifted to a make-shift relief camp in Meppadi in the district.

“We ran out of our houses in our nighties, clutching babies in our hands. We could not take anything. We are clueless whether our houses are still there or grounded. No one knows how many of houses are still there and how many have been washed away,” the woman added.

Another woman could be seen pleading in a temporary relief camp to shift them to a safer place.

“We were staying at the estate workers’ colony in Puthumala. Roads and bridges were washed away. We don’t know how to move to a safer place. Children are hungry… though the authorities gave us biscuits, the children are not eating… they demand rice,” she said.

The Cochin International Airport has been closed till Sunday, as rain waters reached the runaway.

Many flights were later diverted to Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur. Railways also suspended services along busy Ernakulam-Alappuzha and Kozhikkode-Shornur sections.

Many areas in Wayanad, Idukki and Pathanamhitta were cut off after roads were washed away in flash floods and landslips.

Major rivers like Manimala, Meenachal, Moovattupuzha, Chaliyar, Valapattanam, Iruvazjinjpuzha and Pamba are in spate.