Kerala flood in2018 short write-up in english
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That's all it took for the state of Kerala to flood in neck-deep water, for massive landslides to lay waste to roads and homes and for hundreds to lose their lives.

An aerial view of floods in Kerala. Image: PTI
The floods didn’t discriminate between people and property.
At last count, 357 people lost their lives, and the floods destroyed roughly 906,400 hectares worth of crops. The cost to the state and its people stands at a staggering Rs 19,512 crore.
For the state's oldest living generation, this was take two.
The last rival to a flood of this scale and severity in Kerala was in 1924, where monsoons pelted the hapless state with 3,368 mm of rain. At the time, over 1,000 people are said to have lost their lives, not to mention an enormous toll on livestock.
The 2,086 mm of rainfall this year is nowhere near as bad, but still 30 percent above the annual average. And the monsoon is far from over.
Going beyond the weather
Leading experts suggest a heavy, artificial hand in this latest deluge.
The state was forced to throw open the gates of 35 of its 39 dams, knowing full-well what was to come. Residents were forced to flee, on important roads that happened to be engulfed in floodwater and landslides.

Kochi: People being rescued from a flood-affected region following heavy monsoon rainfall, in Kochi on Thursday, Aug 16, 2018. PTI
And things only got worse from there.
The intensity of the rains meant that two dozen more dams in states nearby were forced to follow suit. The dam gates were opened and a torrent of hell was unleashed on God's own country.
Reading the signs
Kerala was one of four other districts in the country with rains more severe than predicted in 2018. The rains saw a steady increase since 2015, culminating in the 'large excess' seen this year.
Records from the India Meteorological Department from the start of the torrential rains in Kerala – between 9 August and 15 August – show a 255 percent departure from the norm in the state's hotspots.
“Heavy rainfall used to occur in Kerala, but not with such continuity,” Dr D S Pai, Climate Change scientist and analyst at Indian Meteorological Department said to Livemint. “This time, there has been widespread rain continually for a long time, which has not been seen in recent years.”
Did we see this coming?
Back in 2011, the Gadgil Committee put together a bunch of recommendations to the central government about ecologically-fragile regions in the Western Ghats. They found the highest number of vulnerable zones in Kerala and cited several reasons for them being classified as such.
Some reasons for its vulnerability were geographical, a challenge posed by its position amidst the Ghats. Many other causes – quarrying, mining, illegal repurposing of forests, and high-rise building constructions – were man-made, controllable factors that the state chose to brush aside.
“The flooding has definitely brought to light the existence of illegal stone quarries or a large number of unauthorised constructions on river beds,” Professor Madhav Gadgil saidto PTI. "In this sense, it is definitely a man-made calamity where intense rainfall and human intervention have made it a serious disaster."
The quarrying Prof Gadgil refers to, along with deforestation in the region, has intensified the horrific landslides the state is witnessing.
Were there early signs?
One of the most severely affected areas is Ernakulum in Kochi, along the Periyar river, into which excess water from the Idamalayar dam was drained.
Dam-safety expert N Sasidharan claimed that authorities waited till the water level in the Idamalayar reservoir reached its capacity of 169 feet, and had it been opened sooner, would likely have spared the massive evacuation efforts in the vicinity.
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Beginning in July 2018, severe floods affected the south Indian state of Kerala, due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season. It was the worst flooding in Kerala in nearly a century. Over 370 people died, 14 are missing. At least a million people were evacuated, mainly from Chengannur, Pandanad, Aranmula, Aluva, Chalakudy, Kuttanad and Pandalam. All 14 districts of the state were placed on red alert. According to the Kerala government, one-sixth of the total population of Kerala had been directly affected by the floods and related incidents. The Indian government had declared it a Level 3 Calamity, or "calamity of a severe nature”. It is the worst flood in Kerala after the great flood of 99 that happened in 1924.
Thirty-five out of the fifty-four dams within the state were opened for the first time in history. All five overflow gates of the Idukki Dam were opened at the same time, for the first time in 26 years. Heavy rains in Wayanad and Idukki have caused severe landslides and have left the hilly districts isolated. The situation was regularly monitored by the Prime Minister, and the National Crisis Management Committee coordinated the rescue and relief operations.
The incessant rains further deteriorated the flood situation. Approximately 370 people have died in the floods so far. Thousands of homes have been affected and damaged. More than a million people had to take shelter in relief camps. Normal life has come to a standstill. It will take many months of hard-work to bring life to normalcy in Kerala.
Pressure intensified on Saturday to save thousands still trapped by devastating floods that have killed more than 370 in the Indian state of Kerala, triggering landslides and sending torrents sweeping through villages in the region’s worst inundation crisis in a century.
Authorities warned of more torrential rain and strong winds over the weekend, as hundreds of troops and local fishermen staged desperate rescue attempts in helicopters and boats across the southern state. The state is “facing the worst floods in 100 years”, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Twitter, adding that at least 324 lives have been lost so far.
Roads are damaged, mobile phone networks are down, an international airport has been closed and more than 220,000 people have been left homeless after unusually heavy rain in the past nine days.
Casualty numbers are expected to increase further, with thousands more people still stranded. Many have died from being buried in hundreds of landslides set off by the flooding.
The entire nation has come forward to lend a helping hand to the Kerala flood victims. Central Government, State Governments, Union Territories, Multi-National Corporations, Big Business Houses, Celebrities, Sportsmen and women, schools, colleges, and common people have contributed to Kerala’s Chief Minister’s Relief Fund generously. Even the help from foreign countries is pouring in. It will take many months of hard-work to bring life to normalcy in Kerala.
The Government of Kerala started a donation website for flood victims. As of 30th August 2018, ₹1,031 crore (US$150 million) was collected from the public including organisations, corporate firms and famous personalities.
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi announced a sum of ₹500 crore as interim relief for Kerala on 18 August 2018. This is in addition to ₹562.45 crore already made available in SDRF of the State and ₹100 crore (US$15 million) announced on 12 August 2018 by the Home Minister. The central government also said in its press release that this ₹600 crore is only the advance assistance and that additional funds will be released by the NDRF when an inter-ministerial team visits again and assesses the damage.
The central government, in one of the largest rescue operations, deployed 40 helicopters, 31 aircraft, 500 boats, 182 rescue teams and 18 medical teams of defence forces, 58 teams of NDRF and 7 companies of Central Armed Police Forces. Together they saved over 60,000 human lives