Kerala flood less intense than deluge of 1924, so why was damage as great?

Gadgil committee's recommendations, which were rejected, included restrictions on mining and quarrying, use of land for non-forest purposes and no construction of high-rises

Kerala’s once-in-a-lifetime rainfall was 2,378 mm over 88 days, four times more than normal–but 30 per cent less and spread over 61 days more than the deluge of 1924, the most intense flood in the state’s recorded history, submerging as it did almost the entire coastline.

So why was the flood of 2018 as devastating as the 3,368 mm rainfall that Kerala received 94 years ago (locally called the “deluge of 99”, since it occurred in the year 1099 of the Malayalam calendar).

That’s because Kerala has reduced its capacity to deal with