By Abhishyant Kidangoor
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Experts say the extent of the damage and the high death toll could have been mitigated by better water resource management, faster decision-making and a stronger regulatory framework for coastal development. The rainfall was, however, unprecedented, peaking first around July 20 and then returning in full force on Aug. 8. The first 20 days of August saw 164% more rain than normal, according to NASA statistics.
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While such severe flooding had not befallen the state since 1924, officials were well aware that Kerala was at risk. A government-backed report on water management published in June found that the state was among the nation’s worst performers. An earlier report warned that mining and hydropower dams were not only threatening the ‘Ecologically Sensitive Area’ of the mountain range, which is recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also making some areas more susceptible to disaster such as floods.
One of the authors of the latter report, ecologist and academic Madhav Gadgil, suggested that the disaster was “man-made,” according to the local news site India Today. As chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, which produced the report for India’s central government in 2011, Gadgil made a number of bold recommendations that were largely ignored by Kerala state’s authorities and protested by locals who believed they would lose their land and jobs if environmental policies were implemented. Among those recommendations was an immediate moratorium on all hydropower dams being built in the area.
Amidst the torrential downpour last week, Kerala authorities opened the gatesof 35 of the state’s 39 dams, which had reached dangerously high water levels. While this was cited as a necessary measure, experts have suggested that the reservoirs should have been drained gradually, and much sooner. In one of the worst-affected areas, Idukki district, water released from a nearby dam ravaged homes and businesses. Kerala state authorities declined to comment, citing the ongoing crisis.
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