High water level at Mullaperiyar Dam a big threat to people of Kerala in the present scenario

New Delhi, Aug 18: The worst flood situation in Kerala claimed huge number of causality of human life. Though the government deployed armed forces, paramilitary forces, state police and many other government agencies and National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) reviewing situation and rescue and relief measures in the flood affected areas on regular basis but threat still remains.

People involved in the rescue work in Kerala told One India that the devastation is massive as people would not have imagined such a massive flood.

People living close to river thought about river engulfing 1 kilometer area and they had gone as far as three kilometres but it had engulfed over seven kilometers of area at certain places making life impossible causing huge causality.

One one the officer involved in the rescue work said that flood affected areas of Kerala belong to a bit well off so they have two-three story buildings. Poor people had left the place after water level started increasing but these middle class people remained stay put with the hope of water receding soon. So the casualty among them is more.

Lots of fishermen involved in the rescue work. They have been of the great help who have the experience of negotiating into deep sea. It is also seen that RSS, Congress worker and CPI (M) workers too involved in the rescue and other assistance.

The first thing that is required to get things normalised is that rain stops. If rain does not stop things are going to be even worst however the main threat that Kerala people are facing is Mullaperiyar Dam which has been a bone of contention between Kerala and Tamil Nadu for long.

Kerala demands that when water level in the dam is around 130 metres it should be released but Tamil Nadu ensured that they did not release water even after it crosses 142 metres. It was released after SC's intervention. But the threat is that if the British built dam which has already crossed its 100 year age limit and any damage to the Dam will wipe out 15 lakh people of the state.

He said that there is a need to understand that everything is overflowing in Kerala right from rivers, canals to any water bodies so water can't go anywhere except entering into cities. Kerala will have to construct a dam in its territory to stop such happening as heavy rains are regular feature of the monsoon season.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention 67 helicopters, 24 aircraft, 548 motorboats and thousands of rescue personnel from Indian Navy, Army, Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Coast Guard, other CAPFs, have been pressed into service to rescue and evacuate people from submerged areas to relief camps and for distribution of relief materials.

More than 6,900 life jackets, 3,000 life buoys, 167 inflatable tower lights, 2,100 raincoats, 1,300 gumboots and 153 chain saws have been provided as per the request of the State Government.