Thiruvananthapuram – Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that precautionary measures will be taken in all parts of the state in view of the experiences of the past years. Five houses were completely destroyed in the state. 55 houses were partially destroyed. Six deaths were also reported. One person is missing. Visited the Disaster Management Authority office today and assessed the situation. A meeting of District Collectors was called in the evening. The meeting of top officials including the Chief Secretary was also attended by people from various forces.
There is widespread rainfall in southern Kerala. Heavy rain will be concentrated mainly over south and central Kerala till tomorrow. The Meteorological Department has informed that it will spread to North Kerala by the end of tomorrow. Rainfall of more than 200 milliliters in 24 hours is expected in red alert districts. If it rains like this for four consecutive days, it will create a crisis.
Anticipating landslides, landslides and rainwater flooding, the operation began. Extreme vigilance and preparation is required not only in the districts where red alert has been declared but also in the neighboring districts. Preparations for dealing with monsoon disasters have started early. On March 14 and 16, mock drills were organized at the local body level with the participation of all the districts.
On May 14, a meeting of various departments was held under the leadership of the Chief Secretary. On May 16, a meeting of local department officials up to the district level was held. The district disaster management authorities held a meeting in anticipation of the rainy season. Later on May 18, the Kalavarsha Tulavarsha meeting was convened under the leadership of the Chief Minister. The Orange Book was revised and published on May 25. Training was given to concerned officials on Orange Book and IRS in all districts.
Districts have been allocated Rs 1 crore each for monsoon preparations. Inter-agency groups were formed to coordinate the services of recognized NGOs in the districts. Rule curve monitoring meeting in dams was held twice.
Control rooms have been opened in all districts. Evacuation of people in landslide-prone and flood-prone areas to safer places will be completed soon. Four teams of National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in Idukki, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Thrissur districts.
4 additional teams of NDRF will be brought to the state. They will be deployed in Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kollam and Malappuram districts. Water is being released from around 17 dams under the Irrigation Department. There is no need to release water in KSEB’s big dams. Smaller dams like Kallarkutty, Ponmudi, Lowerperiyar, Moozhiyar and Peringalkuth have also released water.
Regarding the water level in the dams, the Dam Management Committee held a meeting under the chairmanship of the Additional Chief Secretary and assessed the situation. There is no cause for concern. With the permission of the Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority, water will be released in a controlled quantity from the small dams as per the rule curve.
ADGP M.R. Ajithkumar of Armed Police Battalion Division has been appointed as the Nodal Officer in charge of police deployment and ADGP Vijay S. Sakare has been appointed as the Nodal Officer for Disaster Management Operations. A meeting will be held under the leadership of ministers in charge in all districts for emergency interventions. Apart from district level department heads, local body heads, MLAs and MPs will also participate in the meeting.
District and Taluk Level Incident Response Team members must be present at their respective locations by August 5. Secretary of Local Institutions, PHC/CHC Doctors and Village Officer should be present at their respective duty station. In all districts JCB, Hitachi and Taurus lorries should be checked through Vahan Portal from respective taluks and ensure availability. It has been directed to give priority during evacuation to the sections most likely to be affected by the disaster and to relocate those found.
Concerned authorities should ensure that fishermen do not venture into the sea under any circumstances during these days as there is a warning that the sea will be very rough despite the end of trawling. Civil Defence, Voluntary Forces and Apat Mitra should be deployed for disaster response operations. If there is a situation where the animals need to be relocated, the animal protection department should find the necessary places to start the necessary camps.
The Department of Agriculture, Irrigation Department, Local Government Department and Fire Protection Department should ensure that there are sufficient pumps to drain water in low-lying areas. The Local Engineering Department and Public Works Department are responsible for inspecting all the bridges and ensuring their safety.
Actions should be taken to convey warnings to people living in forest areas, towns and villages. In each area, the buildings selected as relief camps and the safe route to them should be marked and published and these should be communicated to the people in the disaster prone areas.
KSEB should complete safety inspection of power lines and posts. Schools and hospitals should complete safety inspections of the buildings they operate in and address potential hazards immediately. Evacuation boats need to be kept ready in places where they are needed. Consideration should be given to stopping the operation of smuggled canoes and houseboats. Instead of ferrying boats, consideration should be given to renting boats in such places during the rainy season
Seven camps have been started across the state. Kollam 1, Pathanamthitta 1, Idukki 1, Kottayam 2, Thrissur 1, Wayanad 1. A total of 90 people have been shifted to camps in various districts so far. This includes 19 men, 23 women and 48 children. Everyone should be prepared to strictly follow the warnings issued by the Disaster Management Authority at their respective times. The District Disaster Management Authorities should ensure that the warnings and safety precautions issued by the State Disaster Management Authority and Meteorological Department reach up to the Panchayat Ward level.
A 24-hour controller was also opened. A 24-hour controller has also been opened in the office of the revenue minister in the secretariat in addition to open control rooms in all district collectorates and taluk offices in case of heavy monsoon. No. 807 8548 538. Control rooms should be operational 24 hours a day in all local bodies. It should be ensured that the phone numbers of the control rooms are made available to the public. Local body control rooms should work in coordination with taluk and district level disaster management control rooms.
NDRF, Indian Army, Air Force, CRPF, BSF, Coast Guard and ITDP have offered their help. District Collectors can grant holidays to schools considering the situation in the respective area. Holiday has already been given in southern districts. Anticipate the possibility of soil erosion and move people to safer places.
Necessary funds are being made available for relief work. Strict instructions were given to the concerned that no activities should be stopped due to lack of funds. It was directed that things should be done in consultation with the corporation to control the water dam in Ernakulam. Chances of accidents are high in heavy rains. Everyone, including pedestrians, should be aware of this. During these days try to avoid night travel in hilly areas as much as possible. Due to strong winds, trees are likely to be uprooted and electric poles may fall onto the road. Everyone should take care to tread cautiously in such matters.
It is our country’s habit that everyone joins hands in rescue operations at such stages. Although it cannot be said now, it must be seen that the extraordinary rainfall is coming at an intense rate. Such are the warnings. That is why it is our responsibility to take precautions and undertake rescue operations. Everyone can contribute to this. The Chief Minister said once again that everyone should join hands and come forward to overcome these difficulties without any kind of prejudice.
English Summary: CM Pinarayi Vijayan Press Meet