The Centre had alerted the Kerala government on July 23 about the possibility of a natural calamity in Wayanad district due to heavy rainfall, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday.
At least 167 persons have been killed and 219 injured in landslides triggered by heavy rain in Wayanad on Tuesday. Several persons are missing after at least two landslides in the hilly region of Meppadi.
Shah told Parliament on Wednesday that besides the warning sent seven days in advance, additional warnings were issued on July 24 and July 25. “On July 26, a warning was issued that there was a chance of heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm, and there were chances of landslides,” he told the Rajya Sabha.
Nine teams of the National Disaster Response Force had been sent to Kerala on July 23 and three additional units were dispatched on Tuesday, Shah said.
The minister claimed that the Kerala government had ignored the warnings and did not respond to the arrival of the National Disaster Response Force battalions.
“What did the Kerala government do?” Shah questioned. “Were the people shifted? And if they were shifted, then how did they die?”
He added that several states, including Odisha and Gujarat, have in the past used the Centre’s early warnings to mitigate the impact of natural disasters such as cyclones.
Shah said that if the Kerala government had responded promptly upon the arrival of the National Disaster Response Force teams, the damage could have been reduced.
He also assured the Centre’s support to the state government in carrying out disaster relief activities.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, however, denied Shah’s claim, PTI reported.
“A red alert was issued for the district only after the landslides hit there on Tuesday morning,” Vijayan said at a press conference. On the day of the landslide, only an orange alert was issued, he said.
A red alert is issued to warn for heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours. An orange alert means very heavy rain that could range between 6 cm to 20 cm in 24 hours.
Vijayan said that on July 29, the Geological Survey of India issued an alert for July 30 and 31, indicating a possibility of minor landslides or rock bursts, reported India Today. By that time, however, heavy rain had already occurred and the landslide had taken place, he said.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader added that Centre should also acknowledge serious issues pertaining to climate change.
“In the past, did we witness extreme rainfall like what we are seeing now?” he asked. “We need climate change mitigation efforts. When something like this happens, you can’t just try to shift blame onto others and shrug off responsibility. Like I said, I don’t think this is the time for blame game.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a social media post on Tuesday, said that he had spoken to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured him of assistance from the Centre.
Vijayan said that over 3,000 persons are being rehabilitated at 45 relief camps set up in the district. Rescue efforts were underway in the Mundakkai, Chooralmala and Attamala areas, the chief minister added.
The district recorded more than 140 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours between the mornings of Monday and Tuesday, which is nearly five times more than what is expected, The Indian Express reported, citing India Meteorological Department data.
The prime minister’s office also announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of those killed in the landslides. The injured have been promised Rs 50,000 each.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who were scheduled to meet with the families of those affected by the landslides on Wednesday, said that they had postponed their visit.
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