Write aন essay about the Kerala floods!
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18 Kerala floods
Beginning on 15 August 2018, severe floods affected the south Indian state of Kerala, due to unusually high rainfall during the monsoon season.[4] It was the worst flooding in Kerala in nearly a century.[5] Over 483 people died, and 15 are missing.[6] At least a million[7][8] people were evacuated, mainly from Chengannur,[9] Pandanad,[10] Edanad, Aranmula, Kozhencherry, Ayiroor, Ranni, Pandalam, Kuttanad, Aluva, and Chalakudy, N.Paravur, Chendamangalam, Eloor and few places in Vypin Island. All 14 districts of the state were placed on red alert.[11][12] According to the Kerala government, one-sixth of the total population of Kerala had been directly affected by the floods and related incidents.[13] The Indian government had declared it a Level 3 Calamity, or "calamity of a severe nature".[14][15] It is the worst flood in Kerala after the great flood of 99 that happened in 1924.
Kerala Flood 2018
IN-KL.svg
Date
July 2018 – August 2018
Location
Kerala, India
Cause
Low pressure
Heavy rain
Large discharge from dams
Landslide
Deaths
483 dead, 15 went missing[1]
Property damage
₹40,000 crore (US$5.6 billion) (estimated)[2]
Website
www.keralarescue.in
Death toll by date[3]
Date Death toll People
in relief camps
Aug 9 23 8,000
Aug 10 29 53,501
Aug 11 33 60,622
Aug 13 39 N/A
Aug 15 47 N/A
Aug 16 105 150,000
Aug 17 114 314,391
Aug 18 195 887,000
Aug 19 220 724,649
Aug 20 252 1,028,073
– – –
Aug 30 483 N/A
Monsoon rainfall that affected India from August 13 to 20, 2018
Red alert issued by India Meteorological Department (earlier in August)
Thirty-five out of the fifty-four[16] 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.[17] Heavy rains in Wayanad and Idukki have caused severe landslides and have left the hilly districts isolated.[18][13] The situation was regularly monitored by the Prime Minister, and the National Crisis Management Committee coordinated the rescue and relief operations.[19]
Their causes Edit
Kerala received heavy monsoon rainfall, which was about 256% more than the usual rain fall in Kerala, on the mid-evening of August 8, resulting in dams filling to capacity; in the first 24 hours of rainfall the state received 310 mm (12 in) of rain.[20] Almost all dams had been opened since the water level had risen close to overflow level due to heavy rainfall, flooding local low-lying areas.[21] For the first time in the state's history, 35 of its 54[16] dams had been opened.
The Government of Kerala argued in the Supreme Court that the sudden release of water from the Mullaperiyar Dam by the Tamil Nadu government was one of the reasons for the devastating flood in Kerala.[13] The Tamil Nadu government rejected the argument, saying that Kerala suffered the deluge due to the discharge of excess water from 80 reservoirs across Kerala, spurred by heavy rains from within the state; It also argued that the flood surplus from the Idukki dam is mainly due to the flows generated from its own independent catchment due to unprecedented heavy rainfall, while the discharge from Mullaperiyar dam was significantly less. Though it is difficult to attribute any single event to climate change, its possible role in causing the heavy rainfall event over Kerala cannot be ruled out.[22]
Impact Edit
Kerala on February 6, 2018
Kerala on August 22, 2018
Kerala before (Above) and after (Below) the floods, released by NASA. The images are false-color, which makes flood water appear dark blue and vegetation bright green.
File:Kerala Flood 2018 Cherumkavala, Angamaly.webmPlay media
The flooded Mullassery Canal, Angamaly, Kerala, India
A state official told AFP that 370 people have died, while The Economic Times has reported that 33,000 people have been rescued.[11][23][24] The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has placed the state in a red alert as a result of the intense flooding.[25] A number of water treatment plants were forced to cease pumping water, resulting in poor access to clean water, especially in northern districts of the state.[26] Over 3,274 relief camps[7] have been opened at various locations to accommodate the flood victims. It is estimated that 1,247,496 people[7] have found shelter in such camps.[27][28] The flooding has affected hundreds of villages, destroyed an estimated 10,000 km (6,200 mi) of roads and thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed.[25] The Government cancelled Onam celebrations, whose allocated funds have been reallocated to relief efforts.[29] On August 12,Cochin International Airport, India's fourth busiest in terms of international traffic, and the busiest in the state suspended all operations until 29 August, following runway flooding.