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Home , Alappuzha, Alappuzha district, Budhanoor, Champakulam, Chengannur, Cheruthana

MANAGING THE DISASTER: A REPORT ON HANDLING OF FLOODS 2018 IN DISTRICT

District Emergency Operations Centre Office of the District Collector, Alappuzha

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Contents

Alappuzha District Profile ...... 5 Geography and Demography ...... 5 District Administration ...... 6 Water resources ...... 8 Economic Activities in the District ...... 11 Hazard Profile ...... 12

District Disaster Management Authority ...... 13 District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC) ...... 13

South West 2018 ...... 14 Monsoon Floods: Phase 1 ...... 15 Preparedness ...... 15 During the monsoon ...... 17 Monsoon Floods: Phase II ...... 18 Rescue Operation ...... 20 Fishermen: The local heroes in rescue operations ...... 24 Relief Camps: ...... 27 Effective Camp Management ...... 28 Warehouse: ...... 32 Post Flood Activities ...... 35 Coordination with national/ international NGOs ...... 35 Cleaning Drive ...... 36 Kick starting „Recovery‟ ...... 37 Conclusion ...... 38

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List of Figures Figure 1 Sri Suhas S IAS, District Collector Alappuzha ...... 6 Figure 2: Multi hazard zonation map of Alleppey district...... 8 Figure 3 : Flood prone areas in ...... 9 Figure 4: Index map of Lake ...... 10 Figure 5 District Emergency Operations Centre ...... 14 Figure 6 Satellite image of Alappuzha district before the floods (dated 6 February, 2018)...... 18 Figure 7 Satellite image of Alappuzha district during the floods (dated 22 August, 2018) ...... 19 Figure 8 A flooded house in Village ...... 20 Figure 9 Sri. Teja Mylavarapu IAS, Sub Collector leading the rescue operations of ..21 Figure 10 Hon'ble Minister for Finance, Sri. Thomas Isaac during the rescue operations in Kuttanad ...22 Figure 11 Smt P S Swarnamma, Deputy Collector (DM) leading the rescue operations at 23 Figure 12 Reuters honours the Kerala fishermen by putting the news in the display board at Canary Wharf ...... 24 Figure 13 Boats are transported in Lorries to the affected areas ...... 25 Figure 14 District Collector visiting the affected areas ...... 26 Figure 15 Bio-toilets intalled in relief camps ...... 27 Figure 16 Hon'ble Minister for PWD & Registration ...... 30 Figure 17 Toilet complex at the Kanichuklangara Camp ...... 30 Figure 18 Visitor remarks by Mr Banku Bihari Sarkar, UNICEF ...... 31 Figure 19 'Onasadya' being served in a relief camp ...... 31 Figure 20 Hon'ble Minister for Revenue Sri. E Chandrasekharan visiting the warehouse ...... 32 Figure 21 Kits ready for distribution at the warehouse ...... 33 Figure 22 Officials and Volunteers at the Distribution Centre ...... 34 Figure 23 District Collector Sri Suhas S, IAS addressing the review meeting at the warehouse ...... 34 Figure 24 Delegation from TISS in a meeting with Panchayath representatives and UN officials ...... 35 Figure 25 All set for the cleaning drive; A view in front of the collectorate ...... 36 Figure 26 Hon'ble Minister Sri. G Sudhakaran flagging off the cleaning drive at the collectorate ...... 36 Figure 27 Heads of different line departments at the World Bank review meeting ...... 37

List of Tables

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TABLE 1 ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT DEMOGRAPHY: ...... 5 TABLE 2 ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS OF ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT ...... 7 TABLE 3 GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT ...... 11 TABLE 4 ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OF THE PEOPLE OF ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT ...... 11 TABLE 5 LIVESTOCK POPULATION OF THE DISTRICT ...... 12 TABLE 6 STRUCTURE OF DDMA ...... 13 TABLE 7 RAINFALL DEVIATION FROM NORMAL ...... 15 TABLE 8 NUMBER OF PERSON RESCUED BY EACH DEPARTMENT / NGO'S ETC...... 22 TABLE 9 VARIOUS ACTORS IN THE RESCUE OPERATIONS...... 26

Alappuzha District Profile

Geography and Demography Alappuzha previously known as Alleppey is basically a sandy stretch of land criss crossed by numerous water bodies, rivers, canals and lagoons. It is also known as “The Venice of the East” due to presence of port and a pier, numerous bridges and a long and unbroken sea coast. Alappuzha was the most developed industrial and commercial centre of the and had trade relations with and Greece. Alappuzha district was formed in the year 1957 and covers a total area of 1414 sq km.The district has a population of 21,21,943 and 5,34,994 households (Census 2011). Density of population is 1504 per square kilometer. Sex ratio in the district is much higher than the national average with 1100 females to every 1000 males. The district is bordered by and districts in the east, district in the south, district in the north and Arabian Sea in the west.

TABLE 1 ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT DEMOGRAPHY: SNO ITEM NOS

1 Total Population 21,21,943

2 Male 10,10,252

3 Female 11,11,691

4 Rural Population 9,74,916

5 Urban 11,47,027

6 Scheduled Castes 201211

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7 Scheduled Tribes 6574

8 Literates 1852797

District Administration The District Collector is the administrative head of the District Administration and is assisted by the Deputy Collectors holding charges of General matters, Land Acquisition, Land Reforms, Revenue Recovery, Election and Disaster Management. The District Collector also holds the charge of the District Magistrate. While performing the duties of the District Magistrate, (s)he is assisted by the Sub- divisional Magistrate and the Executive Magistrates. 1Sri Suhas S IAS heads the district administration from 07.06.2018 onwards.

Figure 1 Sri Suhas S IAS, District Collector Alappuzha The Alapuzha district is administratively divided into two revenue divisions – Alappuzha and Chengannur and six taluks- Karthikapally, Ambalapuzha, Chertala, Chengannur, Kuttanad and , with a total of 93 revenue villages. There are 1 District Panchayath, 5

1 Source: https://alappuzha.gov.in/collectorate/

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Municipalities, 12 Block Panchayaths, and 72 Grama Panchayaths in District. The district sends 2 elected representatives to the Parliament and 9 members to the state legislative assembly. At present 3 MLAs from the district are handling major portfolios in the state cabinet and the leader of opposition also belongs to the district. The Five Municipal towns of this district are located in the five taluks, and Kuttanad is the only taluk without any Municipal town.2

TABLE 2 ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS OF ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT

S. NO ADMINISTRATION NOS

1 Revenue divisions 2

2 Taluks 6

3 Blocks 12

4 Block Panchayath wards 158

5 Villages 93

6 District Panchayath 1

7 District Panchayath wards 23

8 Gram Panchayath 73

9 Grama Panchayath Wards 1186

10 Municipalities 5

11 Corporations 0

12 Assembly constituencies 9

13 Parliament Constituencies 2

2 District Disaster Management Plan, Alappuzha. 7

Water resources The district has a network of rivers, canals and backwaters. Pampa, and are the major rivers flowing through the district. These 3 rivers and river drain into the Vembanad lake at different places, enroute Arabian Sea. Thottappilly Spillway in Vembanad lake receives the waters from these rivers. Vembanad Lake is considered as the longest lake in which separates Alappuzha district from Ernakulam and Kottayam districts on the north and east. The presence of major rivers, lakes and other water bodies makes the district the most vulnerable district for floods in the state. Adding to that, of all the major rivers only Pampa is controlled with a major reservoir at Kakki. Fig:1 is the multi hazard zonation map of Alappuzha district. The regions shaded in yellow represents the flood prone areas in the district.

Figure 2: Multi hazard zonation map of Alleppey district.

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Among the major rivers, enters the district at Thalavadi village in Kuttanad taluk and passes through and villages and joins the at .The villages of Manimala, Mallappally, , Kalloppara, Thalavadi, Kozhimukku and Champakkulam lies in the course of the river Manimala. It has a length of 91.73 Km and drainage area of 802.90 Km. Pamba, the third longest river in Kerala enters Alappuzha district at Chengannur and flows through , , , and Champakulam through a distance about 177.08 Km and plunges into vembanad lake through several branches such as Pallathuruthi Ar, Ar and Muttar. The river has a length of 117 Km and is navigable to a length of 73 Km. Achankovil river enters the district at and has a catchment area of 1155.14 Sq.Kms and a marginable length of 32.19 Km. The river passes through , and Chengannur villages, enters Mavelikkara Taluk at , flows through and villages and joins Pamba at Veeyapuram.

Figure 3 : Flood prone areas in Alappuzha district

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The Vembanad lake, the most important of the west coast canal system has a length of 84 Km and an average breadth of 3.1 Km. It covers an area of 204 Sq.Km. Stretching from Alappuzha to , the lake borders , Ambalapuzha and Kuttanad Taluks of Alappuzha district, Kottayam, and Changanasserry taluks of and Kochi and Taluks of . Pamba, Achankovil , Manimala, Meenachil and rivers discharge into this lake. The Thannermukkom regulator constructed across Vembanad lake between Thannermukkom and Vechur is intended to prevent tidal action and intrusion of saline water into the lake. It is the largest mud regulator in India.3

Figure 4: Index map of Vembanad Lake4 Stretching between Panmana and , lake is a shallow lake which has an outlet to sea at Kayamkulam barrage. It has an area of 59.57 Sq.Km., a length of 30.5 Km and

3 Source: https://alappuzha.gov.in/about-district/rivers-lakes

4 Source: Central Water Commission, Study Report on Kerala Floods 2018 10 an average breadth of 2.4 Km. It connects by the Panmana canal. In addition, Alappuzha has a network of canals included in the west coast canal system which are used for navigation. The important canals are Vadai canal, Commercial canals and the link canals between these two canals. Apart from these, there are many inland canals which are mainly used for passenger navigation and commercial purposes. The lakes are used for inland water transport of passengers and cargo. Inland fisheries have also been flourished in these regions. Alappuzha has a flat unbroken sea coast of 82 Km length which is 13.9 % of the total coastal line of the state. An interesting phenomenon of this seacoast during the month of June is the periodic shifting of mud bank popularly known as “Chakara” within a range of 25 Km in Alappuzha- coast due to hydrolic pressure when the level of backwater rises during south-west monsoon3. TABLE 3 GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT S.NO ITEM AREA

1 Reservoirs Nil

2 Coastline (length in kms) 82

3 Forest 5.80 Ha

4 Wet Cultivable Waste land 3317 Ha

5 Fallow Land 6205 Ha

6 Total Cropped area 125032 Ha

Economic Activities in the District Agriculture, fishing and Tourism are the major economic activities of the people of this district. Totally 35000 hectares of land are utilized for paddy cultivation. Major part of this land is covered under Kuttanad. Another important aspect is that all over the world only in Kuttanad the farming is done upto 2 metres below sea level. Kuttanad is also known as bowl of Kerala. , , Vegetables and Tuber are the other important crops of Alappuzha. The length of the coast line in this district is 82 km which has a fishermen population of 136,300. Livestock farming also contributes to the local economy. Agriculture laborers constitute a major share of the working population, both under main and marginal classification. TABLE 4 ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF THE PEOPLE OF ALAPPUZHA DISTRICT S NO ITEM AMOUNT

1 Total Households 535958

2 Total workers 804471

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3 Main workers 596387 i Cultivators 17805 ii Agricultural Labourers 39491 iii Household industry workers 25155 iv Other workers 513936

4 Marginal workers 208084 i Cultivators 7432 ii Agricultural Labourers 32215 iii Household industry workers 10710 iv Other workers 157727

5 Non –workers 1323318

TABLE 5 LIVESTOCK POPULATION OF THE DISTRICT

SNO ITEM AMOUNT

1 Livestock Population 17101 MT

2 Poultry Production 14548 MT

3 Egg production 1581.183 (1498.116 Fowls+83.067 ducks)

4 Poultry Population 13093548

Hazard Profile Alappuzha has been traditionally vulnerable to natural disasters o account of its unique geo- climatic conditions and vast coastline. Flood and drought have been a recurrent phenomena. The district has been identified as vulnerable to naturally triggered/ weather related disasters including Flood, Tsunami, Coastal erosion, Storm surge, Thunder, lightning, Cyclone, Drought and Salt water intrusion, geological disasters including Earthquake and landslides and biological disasters such as Epidemics, Cattle epidemics, Food poisoning, Pest attack, Bird Flu etc. The

12 anthropogenically or technologically triggered hazards include industrial explosions, petro- chemical transportation accidents, firework accidents, road accidents, human triggered forestfire, stampede, short circuit and related fire, building collapse, boat capsizing, tourism related drowning, rail accidents and hooch accidents.

District Disaster Management Authority As stipulated in the National Disaster Management Act, 2005 District Disaster Management Authority was constituted in Alappuzha to manage and respond to any disaster effectively. TABLE 6 STRUCTURE OF DDMA

S.NO Organization and Designation Designation in DDMA

1 District Collector Chairperson, Ex-officio

2 The Additional District Magistrate Chief Executive Officer

3 The President, District Panchayath Co-Chairperson, Ex-officio

4 The Superintendent of Police Member, Ex-Officio

5 The District Medical Officer of Health Member, Ex-Officio

6 The Assistant Divisional Officer, Fire Member, Ex-Officio & Rescue Services

7 The Deputy Director of Fisheries Member, Ex-Officio

District Emergency Operations Centre (DEOC) Disaster Management department is a part of the Revenue Department and the section is headed by the Deputy Collector Disaster Management. The first District Emergency Operation Centre(DEOC) was formed in Alappuzha district. The DEOC is under the direct control of District Incident Commander. Day to day administration of DEOC is assigned to the Deputy Collector Disaster Management. The response operation during major disasters including rescue and relief activities is coordinated in the DEOC Control Room along with dissemination of Early Warnings. Emergency Operation Center plays a vital role in the Emergency Operation activation. It coordinates the flow of information with respect to activities associated with relief operations. During the normal times it maintains a systematic database of the resources available, important phone numbers, names and addresses of important government and non-government officials and NGOs. During crisis it functions as a center for decision-making and help flow of information horizontally and vertically to the respected departments for smoother relief operations.

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Emergency Operation Centre is the nodal point for the overall coordination and control of the relief work in case of any disaster situation. In case of any disaster the district level Emergency Operation Centre have to be activated. The primary function of EOC is to facilitate smooth inflow and outflow of disaster relief activities. The DEOC will receive and process disaster alerts and warnings from nodal agencies and other sources and communicate the same to all designated authorities and stakeholders , it also receive and compile daily calamity reports from all Taluk offices and submit to state disaster management authority.

Figure 5 District Emergency Operations Centre

South West Monsoon 2018 The state of Kerala receives rainfall from the South West and North East during the months from June to September and October to November respectively. As expected, monsoon winds reached Kerala coast by the end of May 2018. The IMD declared the onset of South West monsoon over Kerala on 29th May 2018. The State Emergency Operation Centre of Kerala put forward a disaster outlook valid for the state during the entire monsoon season (June to December). The State Relief Commissioner convened a meeting of the heads of all nodal departments on 16th May 2018. In spite of all these preparations, the state witnessed heavy loss

14 during the monsoon because of the very heavy rainfall recorded throughout the state. Excess rainfall and mudslides in the catchment areas of major dams resulted in filling up of dams to the maximum and further lead to opening of all major dams in the state.

Alappuzha district experienced immense calamities in the monsoon causing significant damage to life and property. The entire series of events in Alappuzha can be divided into two distinct phases, the first phase started from 15.07.2018 and the second phase started from 15.08.2018. The first phase of floods was characterised by inundation of most of the villages in Kuttanad area.The second phase was more furious with flash floods and inundation in hitherto unflooded areas in Chengannur area and flooding in many low lying areas in the district. Alleppey witnessed a rainfall departure of 29% excess during the current monsoon period ie from 01 June 2018 to 22 August 2018.

TABLE 7 RAINFALL DEVIATION FROM NORMAL Normal Rainfall Actual Rainfall Departure from normal (mm) (mm) (%)

Alappuzha 1380.6 1784 29 Excess

Monsoon Floods: Phase 1

Preparedness As per the directions received from State Relief Commissioner, each departments were assigned specific tasks for the implementation like making departmental disaster management plan especially for PWD, Irrigation, KSEB, Fisheries, Dam Safety Authority and Agriculture. The departments which already have disaster management plan were directed to submit the report and get approved by KSDMA. Major irrigation department should consider flood prone areas focusing on densely populated areas. The importance of press was also mentioned in the meeting. For more inclusive work, one nodal officer was assigned for disaster management up to Taluk level. For easy sharing of information, their mobile numbers were also shared with KSDMA. Armed Forces were also taken in to consideration and it was decided to invite them for the further monsoon preparedness meetings held by the District authority. DEOC have a mobile number and all emergency messages are communicated through this and the toll free emergency number 1077. In the case of Gram Panchayat, they were assigned the task of forming quick response teams and monitor the condition of schools, identify shelters, and carry out cleaning of canals to prevent floods. Proper information was given for the coordination between NDRF, Armed Forces, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard etc. with the District Emergency Operating Centre. It was also decided to assess the capacities of different departments in facing a disaster situation. 15

At last but not the least is the decision to treat spreading of fake/wrong/false messages as a punishable offense. The situation in coastal regions was also considered and decided to construct sea walls wherever required. Coastal erosions can be reduced with the help of and planting of mangroves was assigned to Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority and also local plantations. It was decided to issue monsoon circular with necessary modifications. A second meeting was held on 28/5/2018 for giving information to different department for response to flood, as detailed below:

 Every canals, ponds, rivers, streams and wells in the district should be cleaned. For making these areas more capable of holding water for reducing flood, required measures should be taken by the departments. This is to be done through Haritha Keralam and MNREGA.  For conserving initial rainfall happening in the district, required measures should be taken by these departments. Required messages and awareness should be given for conservation of water by irrigation department.  It was decided to hold meetings of DDMA before the 30th May ensuring participation of the Co-Chairperson of the authority, the District Panchayath President for preparedness of monsoon.  Required measures should be taken by the Social Protection Officer for giving shelter, food and water to people who are living in streets during the rainy season, in consultation with the District Collector.  Action taken to ensure that the instructions given in the Handbook of Disaster Management- Volume 2- Emergency Operating Centres and Emergency Support Functions Plan, Kerala about the working of Revenue, Police, Fireforce is followed.  It is the responsibility of the EOC to pass on information to officials and elected representatives. New applications like WhatsApp should be utilized for this purpose.  Atleast one place should be identified in disaster prone areas to establish camps as and when required.  Supply officers are assigned to procure Rice, Green gram, oil, Kerosene etc and keep it in warehouse, to take whenever the need comes. It has been directed to arrange general goods, vegetables, fish, meat, oil, kerosene, gas etc from Government authorised agencies like Supplyco, Consumer Fed, Horticorp, Matsyafed, Kepco etc  Ensure that all the schools and hospitals and other government buildings are safe by conducting survey by a Civil Engineer from either of the following departments like PWD, LSGD (Engineering Division), Irrigation and this process should be monitored by District Disaster Management Authority.  Instructions were given to the Irrigation Department to fill stones in the sea erosion affected areas and to cut and open Pozhy whenever necessary.  Instructions were given to the Port Officer to restrict Sikkara Boats during Heavy Rainy Season to avoid accidents.

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 Instructions were given to RTO to inspect all the school vehicles to avoid risks.  100 life jackets were procured and stored in advance to meet emergency situation.

During the monsoon By 12.06.2018 the low lying areas in Kuttanad Taluk started getting inundated due to high rainfall from the monsoon and high tides in the sea and hence non residential camps were started from 12th onwards. It was ordered to keep all Taluk and Village Offices opened through out the day including holidays.Required instructions were given to other departments like Civil Supplies for giving general goods to people without any lag. Strict instructions were given to all Tahsildars to ensure government guidelines for relief measures are followed properly so that the relief materials will be reaching needy hands only. On 16/6/2018, DDMA meeting was convened in the District Collectorate for evaluation of the relief activities and to take remedies for various problems faced by the people in different areas. Details of camps functioning in different parts of the district were looked into and issued directions to ensure accountability of gruel centres opened in Kuttanad area.

On 18/7/2018, due to the heavy rainfall from the South West Monsoon, most of the places in the district were affected by floods especially in Kuttanad Taluk where various Roads, Bunds etc. were broken, transport services banned, holidays declared for schools and highly panic situation happened in the area. State Emergency Operation Centre was requested to deploy one unit of NDRF team to this area at the earliest. On the same date itself one officer was given charge for coordinating all the measures taken in the flood situation. Details of all the family who are in relief camps were collected including their Ration card number, Aadhar Number, Bank account number and a proper database of all inmates has been created. For containing epidemics proper measures were taken to conduct medical camps, chlorination process and to give awareness to the public. Supply of drinking water was also ensured in the area. Due to the intense flood situation, boats were assigned for rescue operations in Kuttanad Taluk and relief camps were opened for accommodating the rescued people. All necessary items were ensured in the camps through Village Officers and Panchayth department. Indent for required items were obtained through Tahsildars and supplied from the dedicated warehouse established at the district headquarters. An executive officer was given charge of the warehouse for effective functioning. Bio-toilets were installed in relief camps wherever needed. This was for the first time in Kerala, bio toilets were installed in relief camps. Special care was taken with the help of Health Department to prevent eruption of epidemics in the camps and the affected areas. Instructions given to undertake crop loss assessment. For restoring the transportation through AC road, Irrigation(Major), Irrigation mechanical division , were assigned the task of strengthening of bunds and dewatering the road.Animal Husbandry department also started cattle camps and provided food for them. Service of Kudumbashri Mission has also been utilized in the flood relief activities. 20% of the total cost for reconstructing the breached bunds has been allocated to

17 the „Padasekhara Samitis‟ to get the work started at the earliest. Geotubes were ordered to install in required places and it was assigned to Irrigation department. Cleaning of the affected households and public buildings were done through District Suchitwa Mission.

Monsoon Floods: Phase II Water level got receded, camps and gruel centres were dispersed and life in the flood affected areas was getting back to normalcy, when the district got affected again by the wrath of flooded waters. Kerala received 758.6 mm rainfall during the period from 1-19, August 2018, a departure of 164% excess from normal.

Figure 6 Satellite image of Alappuzha district before the floods (dated 6 February, 2018)5

5 Before and After the Kerala Floods; https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/92669/before-and-after- the-kerala-floods 18

Figure 7 Satellite image of Alappuzha district during the floods (dated 22 August, 2018) Heavy downpour in the catchment areas of Kakki, Anathode and Pamba dams in Pamba river resulted in rising of water levels in the dams to the approved limit, forcing the authorities to open the shutters in short notice. This resulted in flash floods along the banks of Pamba and other major rivers including Achankovil and Manimala, that flows through the district. Flash floods happened in Chengannur Taluk in the midnight of 15.08.2018. Over flooding of Pampa river led to floods in Pandanad, , Mannar and Grama panchayats in Chengannur and Chengannur Municipality. Over flooding of Achankovil river led to floods in many parts of Venmony, Cheriyanad, Ala and Puliyoor Grama panchayats. Kuttanad Taluk got fully submerged in water. Chennithala, Thripperumthura and Kannamangalam in Mavelikkara Taluk, , Veeyapuram,Pallippad and in Karthikappally Taluk and many areas in the eastern side of Ambalapuzha and Cherthala Taluks were also completely affected by floods. On receipt of information from the State Control Room, Pathanamthitta Control Room and KSEB regarding opening of shutters of Pampa and Kakki dams due to rise in water levels alert has been issued to Tahsildars, Taluk Control Rooms and all village officers of Kuttanad, Chengannur and Karthikapally Taluks on rise in water level in the areas on the banks of the rivers. The Collectorate Control Room issued directions to all revenue officers to be prepared for floods. In addition to that public announcements were given in all the areas through Panchayats, Municipality and Police Departments. District Collector also requested the Navy to provide rubber boats and personnel to take care of rescue operations. Since many areas in got flooded by 15.08.2018, the NDRF team stationed at Alleppey was directed to Ranny for rescue operations on request from Pathanamthitta District Collector. Since water level started increasing in Chengannur, Kuttanad, Karthikappally and Mavelikkara Taluks, orders were issued to the Tahsildars and village officers to shift people to safer zones. The District Collector and Chengannur MLA personally visited Mannar, Chengannur and Mangalam areas on 15.8.2018 and issued warnings to the people. An emergency meeting of the DDMA was convened at 11.00 am on 15.8.2018 to take necessary steps for handling the situation. Though attempts were made to evacuate people from the banks of river Pampa and its tributaries, people were not willing to move from the places.

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Figure 8 A flooded house in Kainakary Village6

Rescue Operation The unexpected flash floods resulted in inundation of many houses and other buildings. The district was issued with red alert from the State Disaster Management Authority and the information was passed to the flood prone areas through public announcements. However, people were unwilling to leave their homes willingly as they felt that water level would not rise beyond a height and also the flooded water would recede soon. This made the task difficult for the district administration as more people were to be rescued from these areas once the deluge happened. Revenue, Police, Fire force and NDRF teams started rescue operations on 15.8.2018. The operation started with the rescue of 16 Bengali labourers from Mangalam area. However, as more areas of the Taluk got flooded with water more rescue teams and fishing boats were called for rescue operations. For proper flow of communication special arrangements were made at the District Emergency Operation Centre. More number of telephones was connected and staffs from various departments along with fire and interns from Tata Institute of Social Sciences were given the charge of attending the SOS calls from people who got stuck in floods and to transfer that information to the concerned authorities. Two separate Whatsapp groups were formed one for evacuation operation in Chengannur Taluk and the other for Kuttanad Taluk. SOS information received via phone calls were transferred to the local control rooms in Chengannur and Kuttanad through the Whatsapp groups. As water level got increased by 16.8.2018 night, it was decided to completely evacuate people from the area. Shifting of people started at 6.00 am on 17.8.2018. More number of volunteers attended the control room after registering in the website meant for that and worked tirelessly throughout day and night till the crisis situation was under control. While the efforts made by Police, Fire force, NDRF, Navy, BSF, ITBP and CISF forces on warfoot basis helped in rescuing thousands of affected population in Chengannur Taluk, 90% of

6 Image Courtesy: I& PRD, Govt of Kerala 20 the affected people in Kuttanad Taluk were shifted to relief camps and safer zones within 72 hours starting from 17.8.2018 morning.

Figure 9 Sri. Krishna Teja Mylavarapu IAS, Sub Collector leading the rescue operations of Kuttanad at Punnamada finishing point Tipper lorries, Trucks, Buses, Boats of State Water Transport Department, Private Motor boats, , Country boats, Fishing boats, Rescue boats of NDRF, Navy and BSF were used in the rescue operations. Boats, Lorries and trucks working for the flood related activities are provided with sufficient fuel. District Collector being the ex-officio Chairman of District Disaster management authority followed the procedures mentioned in the DM Act 2005. Under the sections 30, 33 and 34 of the DM act, District Collector ordered to arrest the boat-owners who are not providing the boats for rescue operations and to cancel the license of the boat drivers who are not willing to drive the boats, to increase the efficiency of the rescue operation. Cattle and Poultry were rescued and shifted to safer locations. Kuttanad has seen many massive floods including the July floods 2018. This is the first time in their history people of Kuttanad moved from flood hit areas to upland. This shows the severity of the floods. In many flooded areas people refused to shift to relief camps and they took shelter in elevated areas. District administration provided basic amenities like food, water, mats, medicines and clothing to them using helicopters, boats etc. Animals which were affected by the floods were rescued and shifted to animal camps, managed by animal husbandry department. Various NGOs also assisted the administration in giving care to the rescued animals.

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Figure 10 Hon'ble Minister for Finance, Sri. Thomas Isaac during the rescue operations in Kuttanad Chengannur and Kuttanad Taluks were the worstly affected regions in Alappuzha district with thousands of people got trapped in flood waters that rushed to thickly populated areas in a short span of time. Shortage of food and water in the isolated areas added upto the fear raising grave concern over the stranded population. However, concrete efforts from all sides including the local public, elected representatives, different forces, fishermen etc joining hands with the district administration helped in curtailing the death toll. Rescue operations in Kuttanad area was lead by Sri. Krishna Teja Mylavarapu IAS, Sub Collector, Alappuzha whereas in Chengannur, Smt P S Swarnamma, Deputy Collector (DM), I Abdul Salam ,Additional District Magistrate, and Athul Swaminath, RDO Chengannur took the lead. TABLE 8 NUMBER OF PERSON RESCUED BY EACH DEPARTMENT / NGO'S ETC. Department/ NGO No of people rescued Fireforce 40000 Police 83887 NDRF 6174 Army 2856 Navy 1254 NGOs/ Local Public 46206 Fishermen 35000

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BSF 678 ITBP 1241

Figure 11 Smt P S Swarnamma, Deputy Collector (DM) leading the rescue operations at Chengannuron 15.08.2018 at 2.15 am

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Fishermen: The local heroes in rescue operations

Figure 12 Reuters honours the Kerala fishermen by putting the news in the display board at Canary Wharf Fishermen played a vital role in the flood rescue operations throughout Kerala. The voluntary involvement of fishermen in the rescue process was widely appreciated as an epitome of local community involvement in disaster response and effective utilization of local resources in rescue operations. In Alappuzha also, fishermen guided and lead by the Fisheries Department and the Kerala State Co-operative Federation for Fisheries Development Ltd aka „Matsyafed‟. Rescue operations were initiated locally with available resources but were hampered due to non availability of equipments including boats and man power. It was in this scenario that the sons of sea came forward as saviors. Instructions were given to fisheries department on 15.08.2018 to keep two boats ready for rescue operations in Pathanamthitta district which was affected by the floods initially. However since many areas in Alappuzha district also got inundated by the night of 15th August, more boats were needed for rescue operations especially in Chengannur and Kuttanad area. Since Kuttanad area is characterized by network of water bodies, obtaining boats in Kuttanad area was not a difficult task but that was not the case in Chengannur. 29 boats were arranged on 16.08.2018 morning itself by Matsyafed which were sent to Chengannur for rescue works with 7 to 10 fishermen in each boat. These boats were transferred to the affected areas which are located far away from the harbor using big lorries and trucks. Fishermen came together for loading and unloading of the heavy boats to and from the carriers. The entire

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Figure 13 Boats are transported in Lorries to the affected areas operations in Alappuzha district was coordinated by the District Manager, Matsyafed, Asst Manager, Matysafed and the Joint Director Fisheries. At Chengannur, the fishermen teams were sent to different areas affected by floods after coordinating with the rescue control room in Chengannur Taluk Office. The fishermen being fearless to jump into the waters from the experience they got from their daily chores, helped them to rescue thousands of stranded people from the flooded waters. The fishermen shared their contact details through social media which enabled the trapped people to contact them directly with exact locations. They worked continuously for hours without having food, water, clothes to change and life jackets/ life buoys risking their life for the affected population. Non availability of fuel (petrol/ diesel/ kerosene) and 2T oil for the fishing boats disrupted the rescue process but arrangements were immediately made by fisheries department and the district administration to supply the same from all available sources. Disruption in communication systems due to power shortage was another hindrance in the rescue operations. The places which were inaccessible in large boats were reached out using thermocol boats and local country boats. Within the span of 4 days from 16.08.2018 to 19.08.2018, 117 boats and 562 fishermen participated in the rescue operations in Alappuzha district alone and rescued more than 20000 people. 10,690 litres of kerosene, 413 litres of 2T oil, 42 life jackets, 6 life buoys and 5 9.9 HP engines were arranged by the Matsyafed to accomplish the humanitarian task. Thus Matsyafed played a key role in the rescue operations by coordinating the enthusiastic fishermen with the disaster response.

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Various organizations and groups involved in the rescue operations which helped the district administration to curtail the death toll in the mega floods are as follows: TABLE 9 VARIOUS ACTORS IN THE RESCUE OPERATIONS Name of Department / Number of Persons involved Modes used Organisation in rescue operations Fireforce 308 2 Boats, 46 vehicles 207 equipments, 8 fishing boats NDRF 66 12 Boats Army 64 Navy 30 4 Helicopters 1 Air Ambulance 4 Boats NGOs/ Local Public 9350 - Fishermen 1350 236 Boats BSF 9 4 Boats ITBP 24 Others 1. Assam Fire force 14

Figure 14 District Collector visiting the affected areas

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Relief Camps: 710 relief camps were opened in the district during the mega floods which accommodated 3,01,719 people. Camp management was done in a very systematic way. Inmates of relief camps were given necessary assistance with the help of Revenue, Panchayat and education department staffs. Panchayath secretaries were given the task of handling the camps in the respective Panchayats. The village officers were given the charge of making the list of the people in the camps and to ensure the proper distribution of general goods, vegetables, water etc to all the inmates of the camp. Camps were divided into sectors and sectoral officers were appointed to look after each sector. They were directed to visit the camps under them personally atleast once in a day and to ensure the facilities provided in the camps. An information performa was created and given to all sectoral officers which was to be submitted daily with the required information. The performa was to be filled with details like:  Camp name  Availability of food grains  Any inmates having health issues  Electric generator available or not  No of bathrooms/ toilets  Service of doctor available or not  No of men/ women/ children inmates  No of pregnant women/ disabled persons/ migrant workers  Total inmates  Availability of drinking water  Effective cleaning of camps if happening or not  Aerobic compost available or not  Availability of sufficient clothes to the inmates  Any other needs, need to be mentioned

Figure 15 Bio-toilets intalled in relief camps

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In the beginning, ration card was mandatory for registration in the camps but the condition was waived off later considering the situation. Food & Civil Supplies Department supplied food grains through Supplyco to the relief camps and gas cylinders supplied through approved gas agencies. Staffs from the various departments were deputed in the relief camps and other places to ensure the smooth movement of food grains and other relief goods. They were also given additional charge of visiting the flood-affected areas to understand the problems faced by the public. Health department provided good health care facility in every, camps especially for senior citizens and women. Sufficient number of bathrooms and toilet facilities were ensured in the camps and bio-toilets were installed wherever needed. Daily cleaning and maintenance of bio-toilets was ensured with the help of Suchitwa Mission and Pollution Control Board. Police protection was given to every camp and for women safety; lady police officers were also assigned. Patients, physically challenged and pregnant women were given special attention and facilities. Quality of the food served in the camps was ensured through Food Safety department. For the safe disposal of sewage waste from flood relief camps across the district, 250 industrial effluent treatment facility units were assigned with the help of pollution control board. Inmates in the camps were treated equally i n spite of religion, caste, politics etc. Cattle camps were provided with required amount of fodder as calculated by the Dairy Development Board. Animal husbandry department took the charge of distribution of fodder to the animals.

Effective Camp Management Management of relief camps in the district got widespread appreciation from different national and international NGOs and other organizations. Guidelines for proper management of relief camps were issued as and when required from the collectorate and ensured that all those guidelines are promptly implemented. Schools, colleges and other buildings that can be converted to relief camps were identified in advance which helped in opening of relief camps in short notice. The camp at Kanichukulangara that comes under, North Gramapanchayath in Cherthala Taluk, for an example accommodated 8000+ inmates who were evacuated from the flooded Kuttanad area. They were provided shelters in the 700 private rooms associated with the Kanichukulangara temple and the two schools nearby. The decision for opening of camp here was taken based on the availability of large number of rooms, which are maintained in connection with a ritual that takes place in the temple every year. The owners of the private rooms cooperated well by giving the keys of the rooms without any hesitation and without asking for any rent. The order to open camp at Kanichukulangara was issued on 17.08.2018 with immediate effect when the camps in Alappuzha got over crowded with the evacuated people. However information was already given to Thahsildar, Cherthala to make arrangements for opening of camps if necessary. This was for the first time relief camp was established in the area but the efforts put forward by the revenue authorities, the gram panchayath and the volunteers helped in making it one of the most successfully run relief camps irrespective of the giant number of inmates accommodated there. The volunteers were part of the panchayath disaster management committee and members/ workers of various youth organizations. Some of the effective steps taken by the camp management committee were as follows:

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 Registration of all families was done before accommodating them in the camp.  Attendance of the inmates was taken every day at the evening by the designated officers to ascertain the number of inmates.  Each room/ class room was assigned with a convener so as to enable smooth delivery of services to the inmates and to prevent repeated distribution of materials to the same people.  Separate arrangements were made for preparation of food for more than 8000 inmates by arranging 4 cooks from outside. Utensils for cooking were made available by the temple committee. Fire-place/ oven was available in the temple annadana complex.  The daily menu included: o Black tea o Breakfast – Rice soup/ Upma/ Bread &Jam/ Green peas etc o Lunch o Tea/ Snacks o Dinner  In addition to the supply of food and non food items from the government side, lots of private parties and non-governmental organizations contributed generously for the cause.  A separate toilet complex was available owned by the temple committee, which was made available for use of the camp inmates. Hygiene of the toilet complex was given utmost priority.  Vegetables required for camp are distributed by the state owned Horticorp Mission.  Special help was given to cancer patients, persons with disabilities, pregnant women etc by providing door step medical attendance. Palliative care was also provided to those who were in need.  A temporary hospital was established which functioned 24X7 with the service of 7 -8 doctors, from health department as well as volunteered private practitioners.  Service of ASHA workers, Kudumbasree etc were utilized effectively for managing the camp.  The food waste generated every day was treated using aerobic plant and turned to compost.  No kind of discrimination in terms of caste, religion, economic status etc was prevailed in the camps.  Safety of women was given top priority especially because of the large number of inmates and one unit of State Women Police Battalion was posted in the camp for that purpose.  Cultural programmes were organized for the entertainment of the traumatized people, participated by well known artists.  Since the regional festival of came in between the sorrowful days, the camp management committee decided to celebrate Onam in the camps which was attended by State Cabinet Minister and other prominent personalities in the area.  In addition to the government sponsored kits for the affected families, the Kanichukulangara camp management committee distributed kits on their own to all the families who were in the camp.

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Figure 16 Hon'ble Minister for PWD & Registration G Sudhakaran at a relief camp

Figure 17 Toilet complex at the Kanichuklangara Camp

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Figure 18 Visitor remarks by Mr Banku Bihari Sarkar, UNICEF

Figure 19 'Onasadya' being served in a relief camp

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Warehouse: A dedicated warehouse was already functioning at Cargo Terminal near Punnamada Finishing point, which was opened during the July 2018 floods that hit the Kuttanad area under the direct control of an executive officer. Relief materials received and those procured through Supplyco for distributing to the gruel centres and relief camps were stored in that warehouse and send to the locations using boats. The location was identified so as to enable smooth movement of relief goods to the water logged Kuttanad area through boats. However, when the mega floods happened, on 18.08.2018 morning the hitherto unflooded warehouse area also got flooded and immediate shifting of the stocks was necessitated by the situation. As and when the district administration received the information regarding water level rise in the area, steps were taken to arrange big lorries and head load workers, identified one new warehouse at SD College, Alappuzha and the goods were shifted on a warfoot basis. The new warehouse at SD College is located by the side of National Highway with enough rooms and facilities to store goods. Consultations were done with the college authorities and the warehouse got opened in a short time. This warehouse was later ordered to function as the centralized collection centre and distribution centre for the district. The District received good amount of relief materials within and outside the state and also from foreign countries. 6 distribution centres at Taluk level were also set up for collection and distribution of relief goods. Management of warehouse is not an easy task as it involves various activities like collection, segregation, preparation of stock and distribution of the goods which was handled in a very efficient way. One of the key features found at the warehouse was the sea of volunteers, relentlessly working through out day and night helping in unloading, sorting, storing, loading, cleaning etc. Basic requirements for the staff and volunteers were met with by the district administration. District Collector personally monitored the functioning of the warehouse through frequent visits and meetings with the staff and volunteers. Senior revenue officials were given the responsibility of management of the warehouse including Sub Collectors, Deputy Collectors, Thahsildars etc. Dr. Thomas Issac, Hon‟ble Minister for Finance visited the warehouse frequently to motivate the staffs and volunteers. He declared that the volunteers will be felicitated in a later date for their dedicated work.

Figure 20 Hon'ble Minister for Revenue Sri. E Chandrasekharan visiting the warehouse

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A registration counter was established at the warehouse for registration of the volunteers primarily to ensure safety and security. The counter also guided the vehicles carrying goods that came from the length and breadth of the country. Separate rooms are allotted for different goods and staffs from various departments were given the charge to handle their respective rooms. Each room was labeled with the kind of goods to be stored in the room. Separate stock of each items were maintained by the room- in-charge. Camp officers were directed to send indents of required items with the signature of the The distribution process was completely concentrated at the college auditorium helping in effective movement of goods. Labour Department was entrusted with the duty of coordination with different departments at the warehouse and also movement of relief goods received through Railway Parcel Service. Around 3000 to 3500 staffs and volunteers worked tirelessly 24X7 at the collection/ distribution centres making the process an excellent example for warehouse management in crisis situation. The real test of efficiency of the warehouse came when the government issued directions to distribute Family kits to all the affected families who were returning to their homes after the deluge, which necessitated preparation of nearly 50000 kits in a very short duration of time. Government has issued guidelines regarding the contents of the kit. Volunteers from various organizations associated by Kudumbasree members relentlessly worked hard to accomplish the task successfully.

Figure 21 Kits ready for distribution at the warehouse

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Figure 22 Officials and Volunteers at the Distribution Centre

Figure 23 District Collector Sri Suhas S, IAS addressing the review meeting at the warehouse

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Post Flood Activities

Coordination with national/ international NGOs Once the immediate response phase of the disaster is over, many national as well as international NGOs approached the district extending helping hands in the relief and recovery processes. Some of the prominent organizations that planned their intervention in the district include UNICEF, UNDP, Plan India, World Vision, Save The Children, Islamic Relief, Khalsa Aid, United Way etc. The District Collector personally reviewed the proposals put forward by various NGOs and measures were taken to coordinate and help the organizations with their data needs through the DEOC. Service of the interns from TISS, was utilized for this purpose. Various assessments are being done with the help of these organizations to identify the needs and methods for the long term recovery of the affected areas. The district which was ravaged by the mega floods invited attention from the academia also. Prominent academicians including Prof Janki Andharia from TISS, Mumbai and Prof N C Narayanan from IIT Bombay visited the district to identify the kind of interventions required.

Figure 24 Delegation from TISS in a meeting with Panchayath representatives and UN officials at Kainakary Gramapanchayath

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Cleaning Drive A dedicated cleaning drive was conducted in the flood affected areas, coordinated by the District Suchitwa Mission and associated by various line departments and hundreds of volunteers from the length and breadth of the state. The debris and sludge that got accumulated after the heavy floods were removed, chlorination was done and preventive medicine for leptospirosis was distributed. The volunteers who participated in the cleaning drive were provided with gum boots, hand gloves, lotions, cleaning equipments and preventive medicines. District Pollution Control Board and Industries Department arranged sophisticated equipments and technicians for the drive.

Figure 25 All set for the cleaning drive; A view in front of the collectorate

Figure 26 Hon'ble Minister Sri. G Sudhakaran flagging off the cleaning drive at the collectorate

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Kick starting „Recovery‟ Rapid damage and loss assessment by each department has been over by this time and an estimated loss of more than 3000 crores INR has been identified till date. This does not include the damage happened to housing infrastructure, which may manifold the amount to more than double. The process of damage assessment of housing and related infrastructure at household level is being carried out by the Local Self Government Engineering department. An android application has been designed and operated to ease up the data collection process. Each panchayath ward has been assigned to two overseers and volunteers from engineering colleges to complete the process at the earliest. Disaster recovery is defined as the process of „restoring or improving of livelihoods and health, as well as economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets, systems and activities, of a disaster-affected community or society, aligning with the principles of sustainable development and “build back better”, to avoid or reduce future disaster risk7‟. The total damage caused by the floods to Kerala economy is more than its annual fiscal budget and hence required significant assistance from external agencies for an effective recovery from the disaster impacts. In a bid to help #RebuildKerala a team of experts from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank visited the state for a rapid need assessment. The team visited Alappuzha district on Sept 12, 2018 Wednesday and convened a meeting attended by all Heads of Departments in the district. The team members assessed the situation in various sectors including agriculture, animal husbandry, tourism, rural industries, environment, housing, urban infrastructure, transport, irrigation, water resources and hygiene.8

Figure 27 Heads of different line departments at the World Bank review meeting

7 UNISDR,Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction - https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/terminology 8 ; https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/kerala-floods-world-bank-and-asian- development-bank-team-visit-alappuzha/articleshow/65787141.cms 37

Conclusion

All the disaster response activities including rescue and relief in the district were personally monitored and lead by Sri G Sudhakaran, Hon‟ble Minister for Public Works and Registration, Dr. Thomas Issac, Hon‟ble Minister for Finance and Sri P Thilothaman, Hon‟ble Minister for Food and Civil supplies. The district administration received all helps from the State administration which enabled to contain the disaster with courage. Timely intervention on warfoot basis done by DDMA and Revenue department incorporating different departments including Health, Agriculture, Police, Fire & Rescue, Irrigation, Civil Supplies, Suchitwa Mission, Animal Husbandry, Public works, KSEB, Water Authority, Water Transport, KSRTC and Ports and Elected representatives of the District helped in limiting the disaster without other menaces like Epidemics and to ensure safety of life and property of the people.

Now, the turn has come for disaster recovery. The district needs to stand united with all its resources as what happened during the mega floods to build back a better Alappuzha from the remnants of the heritage ravaged by the deluge. Let us stand together to #RebuildAlappuzha.

“Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, diseases. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” Daryn Kagan

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