2018 Kerala floods

This article is about the 2018 Kerala floods. For 2019 Kerala floods, see 2019 Kerala floods. For 2020 Kerala floods, see 2020 Kerala floods.

2018 Kerala floods
Disaster of Kerala
DateJuly 2018 (2018-07) – August 2018
LocationKerala, India
CauseHeavy rain
Discharges
Landslide
Deaths483
Property damage₹40,000 crore (US$4.8 billion) (estimated)[1]

On 16 August 2018, severe floods affected the south Indian state Kerala, due to unusually heavy rainfall during the monsoon season.[2][3][4] It was the worst flood in Kerala in nearly a century.[5] Over 483 people died,[6] and about one million[7][8] people were evacuated, mainly from Chengannur,[9] Pandanad,[10] Edanad, Aranmula, Kozhencherry, Ayiroor, Ranni, Pandalam, Kuttanad, Malappuram, Aluva, Chalakudy, Thrissur, Thiruvalla, Eraviperoor, Vallamkulam, North Paravur, Chendamangalam, Chellanam, Vypin Island, and Palakkad. All 14 districts of the state were placed on red alert.[3][11] According to the Kerala government, one-sixth of the total population of Kerala was directly affected by the floods and related incidents.[12] The Indian government declared it a Level 3 Calamity, or "calamity of a severe nature".[13][14] It is the worst flood in Kerala after the great flood of '99 that took place in 1924.

Thirty-five[15] 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, and for the first time in 26 years, five gates of the Malampuzha dam of Palakkad were opened.[17] Heavy rains in Wayanad and Idukki caused severe landslides and had left the hilly districts isolated.[18][12] The situation was regularly monitored by the National Crisis Management Committee, which also coordinated the rescue and relief operations. The dam openings disrupted many of those living nearby.[19]

With the recurrence of flood events in the state in the subsequent years, several studies have attempted to explain the behavior.

  1. ^ Rajiv G (13 September 2018). "Flood damages in Kerala pegged at Rs 4,000,000,000 crore". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Kerala Floods 2018 Video". 28 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Kerala floods live updates: Death toll rises to 79; Kochi airport to remain closed till August 26". Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  4. ^ Hunt, Kieran M. R.; Menon, Arathy (1 February 2020). "The 2018 Kerala floods: a climate change perspective". Climate Dynamics. 54 (3): 2433–2446. Bibcode:2020ClDy...54.2433H. doi:10.1007/s00382-020-05123-7. ISSN 1432-0894. S2CID 210715907.
  5. ^ Baynes, Chris (15 August 2018). "Worst floods in nearly a century kill 44 in India's Kerala state amid torrential monsoon rains.New report suggests thet this will continue every year the rest 100 years". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  6. ^ "483 dead in Kerala floods and landslides, losses more than annual plan outlay: Pinarayi Vijayan". 30 August 2018. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  7. ^ "National Disaster Management Authority on Twitter". Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  8. ^ Babu, Gireesh (17 August 2018). "Monsoon havoc in Kerala: 324 lives lost since May 29, says CM Vijayan". Business Standard India. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Flood hit over Chengannur". 19 August 2018. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Attempts to rescue people in Pandanad, continue". Archived from the original on 21 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Death toll soars in India monsoon floods". BBC News. 16 August 2018. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Sudden water release by Tamil Nadu from Mullaperiyar a reason for deluge: Kerala to SC". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  13. ^ Raghavan, T. c a Sharad (20 August 2018). "Calamity of a severe nature". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  14. ^ "Centre declares Kerala floods 'Level-3' calamity; demand to call it 'national disaster' either ignorance or mischief – Firstpost". www.firstpost.com. 21 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Kerala floods live updates: 35 dams opened, death toll rises to 67". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  16. ^ "Water Resources". ECONOMIC REVIEW 2017. State Planning Board, Kerala. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  17. ^ "All 5 Idukki Dam gates opened for the 1st time in history as Kerala battles unending rains". India Today. 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  18. ^ "Landslides hit several places in Malabar; Munnar, Wayanad isolated". Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Kerala floods: Centre to give more funds to state, says Rs 600 crore was only advance assistance". The Indian Express. 23 August 2018. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.