Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 4: The death toll from the devastating floods that battered Kerala over the past few days has risen to 15, while seven people remain missing, as questions are being raised over the accuracy and timeliness of weather forecasts and the state's disaster response.
Amid criticism from the Opposition over the handling of the flood situation, Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Monday said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had failed to provide timely and accurate warnings about the extreme rainfall.
He attributed the sudden flooding to highly localised and intense rainfall influenced by El Niño.
"The IMD could not predict the intensity of the rainfall and could not issue timely alerts. It was beyond its capacity due to the peculiar nature of the rainfall influenced by El Niño," Satheesan said, rejecting allegations that the state government had failed to respond adequately.
The Chief Minister said districts such as Pathanamthitta and Idukki remained under an orange alert even after they had begun receiving rainfall of red alert intensity, leaving authorities with very little time for evacuation and emergency preparedness.
"There was no time for evacuation when such intense rainfall occurred. Some places, including Vadasserikara, received more than 350 mm of rainfall, while the threshold for very heavy rainfall is 200 mm. Experts say this is linked to El Niño, where higher temperatures increase evaporation, resulting in extremely heavy rainfall," he said.
Satheesan also dismissed rumours that dams had been opened without warning, cautioning that strict legal action would be taken against those spreading false information. He said water levels in most reservoirs remain low because of earlier rainfall deficits and clarified that water is currently being released only from the Moozhiyar dam after review and approval by the district collector.
The Opposition LDF criticised the state government for inadequate preparedness and alleged shortcomings in disaster management during the floods.
Meanwhile, weather and disaster management experts defended the forecasting system, saying the challenge lay in the scientific limitations of predicting rapidly developing extreme rainfall events rather than any failure by the IMD.
Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) Member Secretary Shekhar L Kuriakose said the difficulty stemmed from the current limits of weather science and not from shortcomings in forecasting.
In view of the adverse weather conditions, the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) has postponed all OMR-based and online examinations scheduled for August 4, 5, 6 and 10. Revised dates will be announced later.
The Kerala government has also announced financial assistance for those affected by the floods. A relief of Rs 10,000 has been sanctioned towards the funeral expenses of flood victims, while families whose houses were inundated will receive Rs 10,000 in immediate relief. Those who have completely lost their homes will be provided compensation of Rs 8 lakh, and families that have lost both their house and land will receive a solatium of Rs 12 lakh.