Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has refuted Union Home Minister Amit Shah's claim that the state government was warned as early as July 23 regarding a possible natural calamity in Wayanad due to heavy rains.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha Shah said that the Kerala government did not heed to the early warning and also did not get alerted even by the arrival of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions in the state.
Shah, a senior BJP leader and an MP from Gandhinagar, said an early warning was sent to Kerala seven days ahead of the July 30 landslide. Another warning was given on July 24 also, he added.
Had the Kerala government been alerted and acted as soon as NDRF teams landed there, losses could have been minimised, the Home Minister claimed.
However, the claims that Shah made in the Upper House of the Parliament, were refuted by Vijayan. The Chief Minister said that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had only issued an orange alert in the district ahead of the landslides.
"However, the district received over 500 millimetres of rainfall, which was extremely higher than what was predicted by the IMD. A red alert was issued for the district only after the landslides hit there on Tuesday morning," Vijayan told here.
The Chief Minister also said that this was not the time for "blame games" and that he was not taking Shah's remarks in an adversarial manner. A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain (6 cm to 20 cm).
Vijayan also said that from July 23 to 29, the Central Water Commission, which is responsible for issuing flood warnings, did not issue any warnings for either Iruvazhinji Puzha or Chaliyar rivers flowing through the affected areas.
"I am not blaming anyone. This is not the time for blame games. But, the Centre needs to understand that climate change has led to significant alterations in our environment and that we need to take proactive steps to address and adapt to these changes.
"The Centre should consider this issue seriously. As part of addressing climate change, effective measures should be taken to prevent the impending disasters. To reiterate, this is not a time for blaming each other. We are currently confronting a disaster, and many people are left in desperate and destitute conditions," added Vijayan.
Vijayan also said that it was based on Kerala's prior request, at the beginning of the rainy season, that nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were made available to the state and it had deployed one team in Wayanad district.
The Chief Minister said that instead of blaming each other, now it was time to rescue those who can be saved, locate those who are buried under debris or were swept away, restore the affected areas and rebuild the villages that were wiped away in the landslides.
After presenting his government's view on the issue, Vijayan said, "So, we can see that what was said in Parliament today was baseless." Towards the end of his press conference, he also said, "The Union Home Minister has presented information in Parliament that is inconsistent with these facts."
At least 249 people have been killed in the Wayanad landslide and around 240 are still missing.
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