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CoverStory KERALA FLOODS

UPWARDS OF 450 is the number Former Foreign Secretary and National Security
of people killed by nature’s fury in Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon said: “.... the 2004 deci -
Kerala and Karnataka as the worst sion was not to accept foreign participation in relief but
ever floods in the century hit the accept it for long-term rehabilitation case by case.” He
two Southern states. More so, the said the UAE help could have been utilised for “rebuild-
God’s Own Country, Kerala, is slowly ing houses, bridges, roads etc.”
picking up the pieces after it went Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal said this issue
through the worst floods after 1924. should be thrashed out internally to avoid any long-term
What is more tragic is that though fallout.
the country by and large stood with Rebuilding damaged roads and bridges in the unprec-
Kerala and Karnataka in offering edented deluge in Kerala will take at least one and half
relief and mounting rescue opera- years and cost close to 6000 crore.
tions, some people made insensitive The Kerala government has sanctioned 1,000 crore
remarks designed to communalise for emergency maintenance works and has to raise
the tragedy and vitiate the atmos- 5,000 crore for ongoing development projects.
phere. Luckily, such was the reaction from the people at The PWD suffered the maximum financial loss in the
large that these attempts failed to make much headway calamity and is seeking 4,978.08 crore for the recon-
in their campaign. struction of roads, from small ones to state highways.
But at another level the response of the central The repair of national highways would need 533.78
government evoked sharp reactions from the ruling crore. Bridges wrecked in the flooding would require
dispensation in Kerala as also in Karnataka, both ruled by 293.3 crore and government buildings 10.09 crore.
non-BJP entities. The damage to roads is of up to 34,732 km and 218
For the lakhs of flood victims in both the states, this bridges were damaged.
certainly is not the time to analyse the cause of the Irrigation facilities, standing crops and planta -
floods. Rather it is time for rebuilding the state, which at tions losses are estimated at 20,000 crore, farm
a rough estimate would cost upwards of 20,000 crore. experts said. But a final assessment can only be made
But against a preliminary demand for an assistance after situation returns to normal. For the present, close
of this amount, the central government announced to ten lakh people have been housed in temporary struc-
600 crore, which would take its own time in coming — tures. Slowly as water begins to recede the state govern-
as a loan, prompting the Left and Congress to launch a ment is also pitching in with cleaning the houses and
diatribe against the Modi government for playing colonies that were flooded. The government has set up a
partisan politics. control room in the state capital to cordinate the clean-
Besides, citing an old UPA government decision, the ing process. At the last count, the government teams
central government also refused to take a 700 crore cleaned one third of the over 15 lakh houses that needed
relief announced by the UAE, which has blown into a immediate attention. At least, 50,000 volunteers are on
major controversy, saying India was quite capable of the job, aided by the government agencies and donor.
taking care of its own and did not prefer taking foreign Though the damage is instant, central government
help in disaster management during natural calamities. assistance will take some time reaching Kerala due to
“In line with the existing policy, the government is procedural issues. The centre has though promised to
committed to meeting the requirements for relief and speed up things, the process of assessing the extent of
rehabilitation through domestic efforts,” the Ministry of damage and fund release was time-consuming.
External Affairs spokesperson said. The Centre has so far released 600 crore for Kerala as
It was understood that by ‘existing policy’, the MEA was immediate relief.
indicating at the decision taken in 2004 to avoid foreign When politicians on either side of divide concentrated
support in the context of the deadly tsunami that affected on the politicisation of human misery, it is the common
a large number of countries in the Indian Ocean region. man, individually and in groups who came to the res-
Former diplomats have flayed the government deci- cue of people marooned in their own homes, that flood
sion, saying that it should have been more considerate waters submerged and made difficult to access. The natu-
on the proposed support from the Gulf. ral disaster was also a leveller of sorts that the floods hit
“As country we can give rather than take assistance, people from every class of the society equally.
but 80% Indians in the Gulf are Malayalis. The offer of But helping Kerala stand back on it’s feet were good Sa-
flood relief assistance from region must be treated with maritans who sprung up from all across India, other than
sensitivity. Saying no is simple, but for Kerala-in-crisis, it’s the defence forces, paramilitary forces and coast guard Fishermen were
not so simple,” former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao services personnel who were pressed into service. on the forefront of
rescue operations
was quoted as saying in the media. Kerala rains 2018 is something that not many resi-

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