speaking about kerala flood
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Lots of rain.
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.
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