Page 10 - Natural Disasters

Wayanad landslides: Bhupender Yadav says Kerala allowed illegal mining

The minister said that the Union government has already constituted a committee headed by former Director General of Forests Sanjay Kumar to study the eco-sensitive zone

Ecologist Madhav Gadgil calls Wayanad tragedy 'man-made', blames state govt

Gadgil-led Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel in 2011 recommended the entire Western Ghats be designated as an 'ecologically sensitive area' and ban the transfer of forest land for non-forest purposes

BJP cites UPA rule to reject national disaster status for Wayanad landslide

The BJP on Sunday responded to demands from various quarters, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, to declare the devastating Wayanad landslides a national disaster, saying that such a concept doesn't exist under Central government guidelines, a policy unchanged since the UPA government's tenure. Senior party leader V Muraleedharan posted on his Facebook page a 2013 Parliament document in which then Minister of State for Home, Mullappally Ramachandran, stated that "there is no provision to declare a natural disaster as a national disaster." "The concept of a 'national disaster' does not exist under the Central government's guidelines, a fact that has been the case since the UPA government's tenure. This was explicitly stated by the then Union Home Minister, Mullappally Ramachandran, in a response to a question in the Lok Sabha on August 6, 2013," said Muraleedharan, who is also a former Union Minister. "While there is no official designation of 'national disaster', each disaster

Kerala announces township in secure location for Wayanad landslide victims

The Kerala government on Saturday announced that a township will be established in a secure area to rehabilitate those displaced by the catastrophic landslide that occurred in the Mundakkai region of Wayanad district. During a press conference here, Vijayan said a comprehensive rehabilitation process is planned and will be implemented swiftly. Vijayan said various offers have come from the global community to provide land and construct houses. A 'Help for Wayanad' cell has been formed under Joint Land Revenue Commissioner A Geetha IAS to coordinate these offers. "The government plans a comprehensive rehabilitation process for the survivors, aiming for swift completion. A new, safer area will be identified for constructing a township. The Education Minister will visit Wayanad to ensure that children's education is not disrupted," Vijayan told the reporters here. Detailing the offers received, the CM said Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan has informed that senior Congress leader Ra

50 feared dead in cloudburst-affected areas of Himachal: Vikramaditya Singh

Vikramaditya said that the topmost priority of the state government is to retrieve the bodies and restore connectivity

FinMin tells insurers to expedite claims for Wayanad landslide victims

The finance ministry on Saturday asked public sector insurance companies including Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to speedily disburse the claim amount to landslide victims and their families in Wayanad and other districts of Kerala. The insurance companies have initiated efforts for reaching out to their policyholders through various channels (local newspapers, social media, company websites, sms, etc) to provide the contact details for assistance in the districts of Wayanad, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Thrissur, where a significant number of claims are being reported, the finance ministry said in a post on X. "In view of the unfortunate landslide incident and heavy rains in Kerala, the government has mandated the Public Sector Insurance companies (PSICs), including LIC, National Insurance Corporation, New India Assurance, Oriental Insurance, and United India Insurance to extend all possible support to the victims of the calamity so that the insurance claims can

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal visits landslide-hit Wayanad in Army uniform

Mohanlal, who was conferred the Lt Colonel post in the territorial army in 2009, was spotted donning his army uniform as he reached the Army camp at Meppadi

Himachal cloudburst: 53 still missing, six bodies recovered so far

Special Secretary DC Rana of the DDMA said that over sixty houses were washed away and several villages have been severely affected by the floods

Central financial assistance sought for cloudburst-hit Himachal, U'khand

Central government should in bipartisan manner provide financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand where cloudbursts and accompanying landslides and floods have claimed nearly two dozen lives and several are still missing, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari demanded in Rajya Sabha on Friday. Raising the issue through a zero hour mention, he said six people have died and 50 are missing following cloudbursts in Shimla, Mandi and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh. Three national highways as well as dozens of other roads have shut due to flooding, stranding tourists and other commuters. In neighbouring Uttarakhand, 16 people have died and many are missing following heavy rains. "Due to cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, 22 people have died and 60 are missing," he said. He demanded that the central government should provide adequate financial assistance. "Last time, Himachal Pradesh was not given financial assistance," he said. Tiruchi Siva of DMK raised the we

Himachal cloudburst: Rescue ops underway to trace 45 missing people

Rescue operations were underway on Friday to trace over 45 people missing following flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh, while 29 people stranded at the site of a power project in the state were brought to safety overnight, officials said. Cloudbursts in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts on Wednesday had left five people dead and over 45 missing. Thirty-three people were also stuck in Malana II power project in Manikaran area of Kullu district. Deputy Commissioner Kullu, Torul S Raveesh, said 29 out of the 33 have been rescued. A wall and way to a tunnel was damaged due to rains and water entered the barrage but the teams of the NDRF and home guard managed to rescue 29 people, while four persons are still in the power house. The relatives of the missing people are campaigning at the spot and the Army, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police, State Disaster ..

Death toll rises to 308 in Wayanad landslides, rescue operations underway

Rescue and relief operations coordinated by the Army, NDRF, SDRF and civil administration are underway

Wayanad landslides: 40 teams of rescuers commence search operations

Braving rains and adverse terrain, 40 teams of rescuers began search operations in landslide-hit Wayanad district on the fourth day on Friday, officials said. The search and rescue operations that got underway early morning received an impetus due to the completion of the 190-foot-long Bailey bridge that will enable the movement of heavy machinery, including excavators, and ambulances to the worst-affected Mundakkai and Chooralmala hamlets, they said. The 40 teams will conduct search operations in six zones of the landslides-hit areas -- Attamala and Aaranmala (first), Mundakkai (second), Punchirimattam (third), Vellarimala village (fourth), GVHSS Vellarimala (fifth), and riverbank (sixth). The joint teams will include personnel from the army, NDRF, DSG, Coast Guard, Navy, and MEG along with three locals and one forest department employee. In addition to this, a three-pronged search operation will begin, focusing on the Chaliyar River, according to the rescue plan devised by the ..

Heavy rains wash out roads in Rudraprayag, NDRF-SDRF on high alert

The Rudrapryag Police also alerted all pilgrims in the Rudraprayag district to be safe and postpone their Kedarnath Dham Yatra

Declare Wayanad landslide as calamity of severe nature: Tharoor to HM Shah

167 people have been declared dead in the aftermath of the landslides as per the Kerala Revenue Department

Wayanad landslide toll mounts 160; disaster linked to 3 causes. 10 updates

Wayanad landslide: Officials fear that casualties are likely to increase as 180 people are still missing and many are feared to be trapped under the debris

Wayanad landslides: Survivors recount horror as death toll touches 158

Heavy engineering equipment and rescue dog teams are being airlifted and disaster relief teams have been dispatched by the Indian Coast Guard after a series of landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala's Wayanad district on Tuesday. Extremely heavy rain triggered a series of landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala's Wayanad district early on Tuesday, leaving at least 123 people dead and 128 injured. Many were feared trapped under the debris. "As a tragic disaster struck at Wayanad in the wee hours, Indian Armed Forces swung into immediate action and 300 military personnel were moved forthwith to commence rescue operations. During the day, additional columns of Army, naval teams and helicopters from the Air Force were mobilised to assist the rescue and relief efforts," the defence minister's office said on X. "All out efforts are underway as additional troops, heavy engineering equipment, rescue dog teams and other essential relief stores are being airlifted by service aircraft from ..

Defence forces move in big way in rescue ops in Wayanad landslide

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that 93 bodies have been recovered and 128 people have been injured after massive landslides

India lost 528 elephants due to unnatural causes in 5 years: Govt data

India lost 528 elephants in the last five years due to unnatural causes, including poaching, poisoning, electrocution, and train accidents, the government informed Parliament on Monday. In response to a question by BJP MPs Jayanta Kumar Roy and Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Lok Sabha that 392 elephants died from electrocution and 73 were killed in train accidents during this period. Fifty elephants were killed by poachers and 13 succumbed to poisoning, he said. According to the government data tabled in the Lok Sabha, 71 elephants died due to electrocution in Odisha, 55 in Assam, 52 in Karnataka, 49 in Tamil Nadu, 32 in Chhattisgarh, 30 in Jharkhand, and 29 in Kerala. Assam and Odisha recorded 22 and 16 elephant deaths in train accidents. Poachers killed 17 pachyderms in Odisha, 14 in Meghalaya, and 10 in Tamil Nadu. Ten elephants were poisoned in Assam, two in Chhattisgarh, and one in West Bengal. According to the

Ethiopia mudslides: Search for missing continues as death toll rises to 257

Search teams were still digging at the site of deadly mudslides in southern Ethiopia on Friday, as the death toll rose to 257, according to the UN humanitarian office. Heavy rain triggered deadly slides on Sunday and Monday in a remote part of the country. The UN humanitarian office, known as OCHA, said in an update Thursday that the death toll could rise to as many as 500, citing local officials. More than 15,000 affected people need to be evacuated" from the area, it said. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected to visit the remote area on Friday. Mudslides there have been triggered by heavy rainfall in recent days. Abiy said earlier in the week that he was deeply saddened by this terrible loss. Photos from the scene show residents standing over the shrouded bodies of mudslide victims who are being pulled, one by one, from the muddy earth. Diggers have been using hand shovels to pick through the mud. Many people were buried in the Gofa Zone of Kencho Shacha Gozdi distric

Typhoon Gaemi strengthens near Taiwan, work halted, flights cancelled

Taiwan shuttered offices, schools and tourist sites across the island Wednesday ahead of a powerful typhoon that already worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, killed at least eight people and displaced 600,000. Typhoon Gaemi's outer skirt was bringing heavy rain to much of Taiwan, where a direct landfall was expected Wednesday evening in the northern county of Ylan. Fishing boats were recalled to port amid turbulent seas, while air travelers were rushing to board overseas flights before the storm arrives, amid numerous cancellations. On Wednesday morning, the typhoon was east of Taiwan moving at 13 kilometres per hour with maximum sustained wind speeds of 162 kilometres per hour, gusting at 198 kilometres per hour, the Central Weather Administration said. In the capital Taipei, heavy rain was falling, but high winds had not yet arrived. Gaemi, which was called Carina in the Philippines, did not make landfall in the archipelago but enhanced its seasonal monsoon rains. The rains