Floods kill at least 39, leave 54,000 homeless in India

Rain-triggered floods in south India’s Kerala State have claimed 39 lives while causing a heavy property loss totaling 83 billion Indian rupees (nearly $1.2 billion).

In Aluva, one of the worst affected areas in the state, the region’s landmark Shiva temple remains submerged in floodwater with only its roof above water. Local people said the temple was fully submerged when the flood reached its peak a few days ago.

Though the floods have receded from many neighborhoods, people's daily lives in the affected areas are not yet back to normal. Local resident Seethalakshmi has been running a stall near the temple for over a decade. Now, her business is ruined by the flooding.

“At first, when police warned us that the recent downpour would bring floods, we did not mind much as the river does not swell much during every year’s monsoon. When the flood came, it was too late to pack up my stall. The water level suddenly exceeded two meters, and we rushed to escape, had no time to mind the stall,” she said.

Same as Seethalakshmi, local people did not expect torrential rains would be so frequent this year. According to statistics from India’s meteorological authorities, this year’s monsoon rainfall in Kerala State has quadrupled an annual average, with the daily precipitation in many areas exceeding 150 millimeters in August.

A state with 44 rivers, Kelara experienced severe flooding during this monsoon season.

Local resident Anjali’s family lives by the Periyar River. The family of 12 was hurry-scurry when gushing water from the quickly swollen river ravaged their neighborhood.

“We didn’t expect the river to flood so fast and high. We got up early and found water everywhere in the house. It’s difficult to live here in such a situation. Children got skin disease because of walking in the water, and the household goods outside were washed away. We had to sleep in neighbor's house on elevated land,” she said.

Mani, an 80-year-old senior, has been living in grief after losing her house to the flood. She said all her belongings inside the house were washed away.

“My home has been totally destroyed. My furniture was ruined, as well as the stored food and clothes. All of them were washed away by floods. The floods gushed into the house so quickly and we escaped in such a hurry that we didn't have time to bring out any other belongings except this cloth,” she said.

Mani and her family now live in a makeshift shelter provided by local government.

The state’s floods have so far displaced more than 54,000 people, authorities said.

(Source: Reuters)

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