Reservoir Operations Fail People in Chalakudy River Basin in Kerala in 2020

October 5, 2020October 7, 2020 SANDRPLeave a comment

Guest Article by S P Ravi

Kerala continues to witness unusual monsoon rainfall patterns for the third straight year in 2020. Kerala had witnessed its worst flood in almost a century in 2018. The 2019 flood was probably second only to the 2018 floods over the last 50 years, with many places experiencing larger floods than that in 2018. While the state did not face huge floods this year, tragedy struck in the form of the Pettimudi landslide near Munnar in Idukki district. It buried alive 70 members of plantation labourer families, making it the worst ever landslide in Kerala in terms of human causality. Kerala has also witnessed its wettest monsoon in September in this millennium with a rainfall of 601 mm, surpassing the previous highest of 526 mm recorded in 2007. The S-W monsoon period is now over and the state received 2227 mm rainfall, which is 9 percent above long term average.

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Dam floods · Kerala

Open Letter to Kerala Chief Secretary about Monsoon preparedness and disaster risk reduction

May 11, 2020May 11, 2020 SANDRPLeave a comment

On May 7, 2020, a number of groups in Kerala wrote this letter to Kerala Chief Secretary on the important issue of Monsoon preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction, with particular focus on Reservoir operations during Monsoon. This is an excellent initiative worth emulating by a lot of us in different states and at national level. Hence we are happy to Share this here with permission from the authors.

Sir,

The South-West monsoon is scheduled to arrive at Kerala by around June 1^st. Early predictions on the monsoon by different agencies including the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) suggest normal to above normal rainfall in India. The South-Western coast and adjoining regions are expected to get very good rainfall this year. It may be recalled that the state had to face extremely high-intensity rainfall incidents and consequent disasters in the last two years. Hence, the state needs to be well prepared to face any eventuality during the coming monsoon. The following concerns may be addressed and suggestions may be considered. Continue reading “Open Letter to Kerala Chief Secretary about Monsoon preparedness and disaster risk reduction” →

Dam floods · Dams · Floods

Kerala: Dams Floods 2018: Follow Rule Curves to Avoid Flood Disasters

November 17, 2018November 21, 2018 SANDRPLeave a comment

Unprecedented Kerala deluge [1] that swept through the coastal state on the day of Independence day 2018 was most disastrous flood incident in the year. It has also been termed as one the worst flood in the state and reminded the people of July 1924 and July 1962 flood calamities. Many experts, several reports and studies have established the role of dams in worsening the deluge. According to reports, 35 out of the 46 dams within the state were opened for the first time in history [2]. All 5 overflow gates of the Idukki Dam were opened at the same time, for the first time in 26 years.

State Government Accepts Dams Role

Kerala is usually considered a flood-proofed [3] state with its undulating terrain. For a state that receives an annual average rainfall of nearly 3,000 mm, its natural landscape protects it from recurrent floods. Indeed, the Kerala flood has highlighted our poor dam management [4] system.

As per officials the crisis could have been contained [5] had the state “gradually released” water from at least 30 dams, in advance of high rainfall, adding that local authorities failed to foresee the imminent danger with high rain predictions. “Such floods have probably recurred after 100 years, exposing the State’s unprofessionally run reservoirs management system and unpreparedness on disaster mitigation and disaster resilience.

Continue reading “Kerala: Dams Floods 2018: Follow Rule Curves to Avoid Flood Disasters” →