Kerala's flood woes continue as frequency rises five-fold over a decade

Kerala's floods are becoming more frequent, with the state suffering nearly ₹20,000 crore in losses since 2021 as climate risks intensify across vulnerable districts

The ongoing flood situation in Kerala has so far claimed around 15 lives and affected several livelihoods. According to media reports, around 7,674 people have been temporarily resettled in 316 camps. The state has already sought ₹110 crore emergency relief from the Centre to offset farm sector losses. As many as 36,829 farmers having about 3,264 hectares of agricultural land were affected by heavy rain and floods so far. 

Amid this, a study by development consultancy firm IPE Global indicates that the state’s flood frequency has shifted from episodic, or once every three to five years before 2018, to near-annual, with a five-fold increase within a single decade. It adds that districts like Wayanad and Idukki have already crossed into extreme compound risk territory. It also warns that such events will occur frequently going ahead. Here is a detailed look at the impact of floods on Kerala’s economy and life in the last five years, and its reasons.

• ₹20,000 cr: Approximate financial loss suffered by the state between 2021 and 2025
• 620: Reported number of deaths between 2021 and 2026

 

2018 floods: The worst in recent years

 

From a major flood once every 3-5 years before 2018, Kerala now faces monsoon wrath every season

 

According to Abinash Mohanty, global sector head- climate change & sustainability, IPE Global, a multi-hazard vulnerability assessment for Kerala reveals a statistically significant shift in the return periods of hydrometeorological hazards that demands immediate policy intervention that can climate-proof lives, livelihoods and infrastructures. Looking into this assesment, Kerala has moved from experiencing a major flood once every three to five years before 2018 to experiencing one every single monsoon season— a five-fold increase in frequency within a decade. 

“The 2024 Wayanad catastrophe — 420 lives lost in six hours of rainfall that should statistically occur once in 75 to 200 years — is no longer an outlier. Under La Niña conditions and accelerating monsoon intensification, we project compound events will strike two to three times more frequently by 2035. Kerala does not need more rescue boats after the flood arrives. It needs a system that activates departments before the rain falls. Every life lost, every livelihood washed away, and every road and bridge that collapses is proof that we are still building and governing for yesterday’s climate, not tomorrow’s,” he added.

 

In 2018

• ₹40,000 cr: Estimated financial loss
• 483: Reported deaths