Centre and BJP playing politics over wayanad tragedy
By P Sreekumaran
At a time when all energies should be directed to minimize the impact of the tragedy that struck Wayanad district in Kerala, the Bharatiya Janata Party is politicizing the tragedy to score brownie points. The blame game should have been avoided, at least for the time being.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has rejected the claims made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government in the State failed to act despite the Centre’s advance warning that excessive rain would trigger landslides in the State.
In his statement made in Parliament, Shah claimed that Kerala failed to realise the gravity of the situation although the Union Government had despatched nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to the State on July 23. Had those blaming the Centre heeded the warnings, the situation would have been different, he added.
Pinarayi countered this claim by saying that the NDRF had been despatched to the State at Kerala’s specific request and not on the Union Government’s volition. The State Government had also moved the force to Wayanad well in advance, he pointed out. The Chief Minister said the forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) were wide off the mark.
None of these agencies had issued a red alert before July 30, when the disaster struck. All that the IMD and the Central Meteorological Centre (CMC) had done was to issue an orange alert for Wayanad. The forecast was that the rainfall would be in the range of 115 millimetre to 204 mm. The actual rainfall was, however, much higher. The locality received 572 mm of rain in the 48 hours preceding the disaster. Nor was there an orange alert warning of heavy rain in Kerala between July 23 and July 28.
At 1 p.m. on July 29, the IMD issued an orange alert for Wayanad. The CMC sounded a red alert only at 6 am on July 30. The disaster struck at 2 am on that day. This makes it clear that the red alert came only after the disaster struck, the CM averred. As for the GSI, it issued a green alert for July 30 and 31, indicating minor landslips and rock bursts. However, by that time the disaster had already occurred causing the landslides.
Moreover, the CWC, which is responsible for issuing flood warnings, failed to issue any surge warning for the Iruvanji and Chaliyar rivers. This proves that the information presented by the Union Home Minister in Parliament is inconsistent with facts, Pinarayi asserted. This is not the time for blame game or political bickering, the CM opined.
The Army has intensified its humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations in Wayanad. In a commendable move, the army airlifted a bailey’s bridge from New Delhi and fitted it restoring the snapped link between Mundakkai, which bore the brunt of the disaster and Chooralmala, rendering rescue operations easier. No amount of praise will be too high for the manner in which the army, navy and air force, Kerala police and other organisations have risen to the occasion in organizing and supervising rescue and relief operations. The death toll has risen to 297 so far and could rise further with the recovery of more and more bodies trapped under the slush and debris.
As expected, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led from the front, coordinating rescue and relief operations. The Chief Minister took time to visit the disaster-hit areas as well. He has directed the health department to rush more forensic teams to Wayanad. Besides, a medical point, including an oxygen ambulance is being set up at the control room at Chooralmala provide emergency medical attention to those being rescued from the dirt and debris on the site. It is heartening to note that contributions to the Chief Minister’s relief fund are pouring in from all sections of society. This represents a stinging snub to the campaign of calumny and misinformation being unleashed by vested interests.
The praiseworthy performance of Kerala is in glaring contrast to the apathy and lack of enthusiasm displayed by the Congress-led Karnataka Government while trying to save a lorry driver trapped under dirt in a flooded area in the state. A measure of the efficiency with which the Kerala Government rose to the occasion can be gauged from the fact that even the Leader of the Opposition who loses no opportunity to blame the State Government and criticize Pinarayi for everything that goes wrong was forced to praise the CM!
But then, this is not the first time that the CM and his Government have proved their mettle in the teeth of adversity. The remarkable way in which Kerala handled and successfully tackled floods in 2018, Covid 19 and the recent outbreak of Nipah virus has earned praise not only at the national level but even from other countries and organisations like BBC and newspapers like the Washington Post and New York Times. (IPA Service)