Kerala govt seeks spl package to deal with consecutive floods

Hit by floods in two consecutive years, the Kerala government on Friday sought a special package to deal with the disaster, even as the state is struggling to stand on its feet after the devastating deluge in 2018.

State Revenue MinisterE Chandrasekharan handed over a detailed request to the special team from the Centre which met him Friday here.

The team, which arrived in Kochi on September 16, visited the flood-hit and landslide-hit areas in the state.

"We have given adetailed report on the loss suffered in each and every field and walk of life. The team was convinced about the loss in the state," the Minister told reporters.

As per the assessment made by the Disaster Management Authority of the state, Kerala suffered a loss of Rs 2101.9 crore in the 2019 deluge.

"However, the loss is much more than that. So we have sought a special package.

The package will help reduce the burden of loss suffered by the roads, electricity board, irrigation department and other Public Sector Undertakings and the agricultural sector," Chandrasekharan said.

The seven-member Central team is headed by Joint Secretary (Home) Sreeprakash.

The state, in its memorandum, also pointed out that this was for the first time in the last 68 years that Kerala was witnessing such heavy rainfall in consecutive years.

This year, the state lost 31,000 hectares of agricultural land in landslides at various places across Kerala.

In the 2019 floods, over 125 lives were lost due to incessant rain and widespread landslides.

Last year, over 400 persons lost their lives in the floods.