Kerala floods: As the situation reaches to crisis proportions, Indian Army comes to the rescue

The southern state of India which lies on the Malabar Coast, Kerala is facing possibly the worst floods it has been subjected to in a long time. The situation has turned so bad that 11 out of the 14 districts in Kerala have been in a state of shutdown owing to floods. The worst hit districts of Kerala are Idduki, Kozhikode, Malappuram amongst others. More than 90 people have died while 40 are thought to be missing owing to the flood in the past few days. Normal life in the state has been disrupted due to the floods and the ceaseless monsoons which have triggered many landslides in the state. At this time of crisis the Indian Army, Navy and various social organizations have extended help in all their capacity to help the people. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh too has been at the forefront of the relief work and its volunteers are doing incredible work in the state.

The floods in Kerala were triggered by the flooding of Periyar, Chalakudy and other rivers in Kerala which led to washing away of roads and drowned the surrounding areas. Heavy rains in the catchment area of the Mettur dam which is located in Kerala and Karnataka too led to a crisis situation as the discharge of excess water became imminent. Bhavani Sagar Dam and Amaravathi Dam too have affected the ever increasing waters in the state. Train services have been severely affected and the Kochi airport too has been rendered useless owing to water coagulation in the premises. To counter this, neighbouring states have increased the frequency of flights and trains to help the affected people and rescue workers.

The Indian Navy has suspended all its training activities to pool in all the resources available and divert it to the rescue and relief operations which are underway. The Southern Naval Command has deployed 40 rescue and diving teams on Gemini boats to help the people in various locations in the state. ‘Operation Madad’ is the official name of the relief and rescue mission of the Indian Armed Forces, more than 100 people have already been successfully rescued by the Indian Army in areas around Kozhikode town. Another 100 citizens are being rescued in areas around Parambil Palli Makkam area which are again severely affected by the rising flood. The 44 Field Regiment of the Indian Army has been working tirelessly in Padikkad areas to provide relief materials and evacuating stranded people.

The efforts to save the residents of Kerala by the Indian Army have been supported and lauded by the general public. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has asked people to donate to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund and people across the nation have complied in a bid to help the people of Kerala. PM Modi too had assured all possible help to the people Kerala of the state and had advised the government bodies to provide all the necessary help to Kerala.

PM Modi is going to visit Kerala to take stock of the situations in the state and to meet Kerala CM to discuss relief related works.