IMD erred in predicting extreme heavy rainfall for Kerala

Kerala maintained Friday that IMD had not predicted 'extremely heavy rainfall' for August and rejected the Congress and BJP charges that water released from dams was the main reason for the massive floods that ravaged the state.

Addressing a joint press conference here, Water Resources Minister Mathew T Thomas and Power Minister M M Mani said the extremely heavy rainfall that the state received between August 9 and 15 was the reason for the floods.

"However, government is not blaming the IMD... maybe they also did not expect heavy rains during the period," Thomas said.

He was responding to the Opposition charge that the state had failed to take precautions considering India Meteorological Department's severe weather warning to the state.

The Centre had on September 3 refuted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's statement in the assembly on August 30 that there were lapses on the part of IMD in forecasting.

Both ministers alleged that the Opposition was trying to tarnish the image of the CPI(M) led LDF government by using the calamity as a tool.

Rejecting the Congress led UDF Opposition demand for a judicial probe into the circumstances that led to opening of shutters of dams, which, they alleged, was the reason for the deluge, Mani said the demand was politically motivated.

Mani, who is from the hilly Idukki district, said more than 2,000 land slips and 300 landslides had occurred at various places in the district.

"All roads in the district are in a bad shape", he said.

Mani dismissed a question on whether large-scale encroachments and human intervention in ecologically sensitive areas was the main reason for the landslides, saying "natural calamities are bound to take place."