Wayanad was at the center of an all-out political war between the Union and state governments even as the Kerala district counted its dead and prayed for the missing after heavy rains triggered massive landslides.
Intervening in a calling attention motion on Wayanad, Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that the Kerala government had failed in its duty of moving people in time even though central agencies had warned them of the impending disaster.
Responding to the criticism, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the warnings from the Centre never hinted at the magnitude of the disaster.
Amidst the war of words, a group of MPs from Left parties wrote to the Speaker, demanding that “factual inaccuracies” in the home minister’s statement be set right.
What Shah Said
The home minister said that as early as July 23, central agencies had warned Kerala of heavy rainfall and possibility of landslides. Shah said in anticipation of landslides, nine teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were airlifted to Kerala on July 23. Three days later, on July 26, a second warning was issued about very heavy rainfall with possibility of landslide that can potentially cause loss of life.
“On July 23, seven days before the disaster, the Centre had given an early warning to the Kerala government. After this, early warnings were also given on July 24 and 25. On July 26, the Kerala government was told that there would be heavy rainfall of more than 20cm and there are possibilities of landslides potentially causing loss of life of property,” Shah informed both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. In Rajya Sabha, he said: “Even when the NDRF teams landed, had the state government realised the gravity of the situation, things would have been different.”
NDRF DIG Bharat Vaid confirmed to CNN-News18 that keeping in mind monsoon preparedness, the force had stationed its teams in Kerala. “One of our teams was in Wayanad. When the call was received at 2.30am on July 30 [about the landslides], this team could reach ground zero within an hour,” he said.
Taking on the opposition and slamming the Kerala government, Shah said that if those making allegations against the Centre had read the early warnings, then the current situation would not have arisen.
He quoted examples of Odisha and Gujarat to argue that because these states had acted on the warning provided by central agencies, loss of live in cyclones was avoided.
“A cyclone alert was sent to the government of Odisha, seven days in advance, and only one casualty was reported. An alert was sent to Gujarat, three days in advance, and not a single animal was harmed,” he said.
Kerala CM Counters
Vijayan, however, accused Shah of playing politics over the disaster and said his statements were factually incorrect and misleading.
Vijayan said IMD had not issued a Red Alert in its bulletins from July 23-29. The rain predictions, as per Vijayan, were around 30mm while in the first 24 hours itself, the rain received in affected area was 200mm, which rose to 572mm in 48 hours. “Not even once in that area was Red Alert sounded off. It was just Orange Alert. It was only after the tragedy that the IMD issued Red Alert,” he said.
The chief minister said the warning from other agencies were also generic. The Central Water Commission, he said, had warned about floods but no specific warning was given about Iruvazhinji and Chaliyar rivers. Even the Geological Survey of India (GSI) failed to warn about landslides.
“This agency is responsible for issuing warnings for landslides. In Kerala, it has only one warning system located in Wayanad. GSI did not issue any warning for landslide for Kerala even on nights of July 29 or 30,” Vijayan said. He also claimed that the NDRF teams were sent on the state government’s request.
Set the Record Straight: Oppn MPs
At least three MPs — John Brittas, V Sivadasan and AA Rahim — from the opposition ranks wrote to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, asking that the “factual inaccuracies in the home minister’s statements be corrected and the record corrected”.
“The statements in question have not only caused undue distress but also paint an unfair picture of the state’s gallant efforts,” they said.
Demanding a correction in Shah’s Parliament statement, the MPs said: “It is imperative to uphold the integrity of our parliamentary proceedings and to ensure that the valiant efforts of the state authorities are duly acknowledged.”