Thiruvananthapuram | Around 2.25 lakh people have reportedly been rescued from the Alappuzha district in Kerala while the majority of the people stuck in their houses in Chengannur have been shifted to safer places.
According to government official assigned in the rescue work, more than 2.25 lakh people have been rescued till Sunday midnight while around 3,000 people have refused to move out of their house and move to higher ground in the interior parts of Alappuzha. Boats would be sent again to shift these people staying in Nedumudy, Muttar, Thalavady, Champakulam, Ramankari and Thakazhy to shift them to camps in Alappuzha.
The government has assigned around 200 houseboats, over 100 motor boats, 50 shikaras, 20 speed boats, 43 jhankars and a barge having the capacity to carry 500 persons for the rescue work. Asper media reports 98% of the stranded in Pandanad and 95% in other Chengnnur red alert areas of Chengannur have been rescued and shifted to safer camps.
The Kerala State Water Transport Authority has meanwhile ordered to stop ferrying people from Alappuzha to Kuttanad. The government has ordered the local government institutions in both Alappuzha and Pathanamtitta to construct toilets in the relief camps within a day.
Kerala is facing one of the worst floods in his history with the loss of 21,000 crores already been suffered by the state. More than 7 lakh people have been forced to stay in relief camps due to constant rains and flood like situation in the state. Chief Minister P Vijayan has appealed to the citizens of Kerala to stay ‘united as one’ to tackle this difficult situation faced by the state.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday Kerala CM P Vijayan said that the priority now was to provide clean drinking water and restore power supplies to the state of 33 million people. Informing about the relief work he said, “The total number of people taking refuge at the 5,645 relief camps has risen to 724,649.” He further added that health officers would be deployed in each village to check the spread of communicable diseases.
According to officials at least, 30 bodies were also found on Sunday as the rain stopped taking the death toll above 400 since the monsoon started in June.
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