Kerala govt okays draft plan to rebuild flood-hit state

Kerala cabinet Tuesday approved the draft plan for the 'Rebuild Kerala Development Programme' to reconstruct the flood-hit state ravaged by 2018 floods.

"The cabinet has approved a comprehensive development plan for the rebuilding the state which was destructed in the floods last year,'' an official press release said here.

The aim is to rebuild the state to withstand such natural calamities. The plan will be an inclusive one, the release said.

The project would link the ongoing development projects with the rebuilding initiative. The draft plan aims to reduce the loss of life during such natural calamities, it said.

"Also, the state will form a river basin management authority as part of water resource management. The government will also develop a centralised command centre for controlling the water in the dams," the release said, adding that the dam safety authority would be strengthened.

The 2018 flood claimed 483 lives and it was among the major disasters reported globally last year, including the California wildfire and the floods in Japan.

The post-disaster needs assessment (PDNA) report prepared by a UN team said Kerala would need Rs 31,000 crore for rebuilding.