Torrential rain finally let up in flood-hit Kerala yesterday, giving some respite for thousands of marooned families, but authorities feared an outbreak of disease among around 725,000 people crammed into relief camps.
Incessant downpours since August 8 have caused the worst floods in a century in the state, and at least 360 people have perished in the rising waters and landslides.
The India Meteorological Department forecast heavy rainfall in only one or two parts of Kerala yesterday and withdrew a red alert in several districts.
Using boats and helicopters, the military led rescue efforts to reach people in communities cut off for days, with many trapped on roofs and upper floors, in desperate need of food and clean water.
Authorities said water levels had receded in villages around Kochi.
Rescue teams were focused on the town of Chengannur on the banks of the Pamba River, where about 5,000 people are feared to be trapped, officials said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the total number of people taking refuge at the 5,645 relief camps had risen to 725,000.
Thirteen deaths were reported yesterday, he added, taking the total number confirmed to 361.
Bedraggled survivors massing at evacuation centres have described desperate scenes after days without food or water.
“They were the scariest hours of our life,” 20-year-old Inderjeet Kumar said at a church doubling as a relief shelter in the hard-hit Thrissur district.
“There was no power, no food and no water – even though it was all around us.”
In Thrissur, rescuers searching inundated houses discovered the bodies of those unable to escape as the floodwaters quickly rose.
“They didn’t think that it would rise this high – 10 to 15ft at some places – when the initial warnings were issued,” said Ashraf Ali K M, who is leading the search in the small town of Mala.
“Some of them later gave distress calls when the water rose high and fast,” he said at the scene yesterday as the carcases of cattle and other livestock floated past.
Among the dead were a mother and son whose home collapsed around them late Saturday. Another was a local man who volunteered for the search and rescue mission.
His body was retrieved by comrades early yesterday, said Dibin K S, a firefighter, in a grim reminder of the perils facing rescuers.
The army said yesterday that 250 people had been evacuated from Pathanamthitta district, many of them sick after days in the pounding monsoon rain.
Food, medicine and water have been dropped from helicopters to isolated areas.
A train from Pune headed for Kerala laden with more than 1mn litres of drinking water.
Roads and 134 bridges have been damaged, cutting off remote areas in the hilly districts of Kerala which are the worst affected.
Anil Vasudevan, who handles disaster management at Kerala’s health department, said authorities had isolated three people with chickenpox in one of the relief camps in Aluva town.
He said the department was preparing to deal with a possible outbreak of water-borne and air-borne diseases in the camps.
Kerala, which usually receives high rainfall, has seen 250% more rain than normal between August 8 and 15.
State authorities have had to release water from 35 dangerously full dams, sending a surge into the main river.
As the rain abated yesterday morning, 60-year-old T P Johnny visited his home in Cheranelloor – a suburb of Kochi situated on the banks of the Periyar river – to see when he and his family could return.
“The entire house is covered with mud. It will take days to clean to make it liveable. All our household articles, including the TV and fridge have been destroyed,” he said.
The beaches and backwaters of Kerala are top destinations for domestic and international tourists, but far fewer visit during the monsoon season.
Kochi’s airport is closed due to waterlogging, and Jet Airways has arranged additional flights from Thiruvananthapuram for passengers holding confirmed tickets from Kochi.
Air India will operate ATR flights from the naval airport in Kochi to Bengaluru and Coimbatore, starting today.
Late on Saturday, the chief minister had said that there was no shortage of food in the state as traders had stocked up before the Onam and Eid festivals.
“The only problem is transporting it,” he told reporters.
“The central government and public have co-operated well in this effort to fight this disaster.”
Qatar’s Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has announced $5mn aid.
Flood victims wait for food inside a college auditorium, which has been converted into a temporary relief camp, in Kochi, yesterday.
