Krishika Dinesh Rathod, Pune
Union Home Minister Amit Shah was retaliated against by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after the latter claimed the state administration was informed in advance about the impending flood and landslides.
The Chief Minister stated, “The central government should also realize that there are serious issues pertaining to climate change,” during a Wednesday media conference in Thiruvananthapuram. Did we ever experience such intense rains as we are currently experiencing in the past? We must take action to mitigate climate change. You really can’t try to brush responsibility aside and try to place the blame elsewhere when something like this occurs. In my opinion, this is not the time to assign responsibility, as I already stated.”
Pinarayi Vijayan was replying to a remark made by Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha, in which the Home Minister claimed that the Kerala government had received an early warning on July 23 . Since 2014, the Centre has invested more than Rs 2,000 crore in the early warning system’s development. To be clear, the Kerala government received an early warning from the Centre on July 23.
We warned them seven days prior to the incident, then again on July 24 and 25. On July 26, a warning was issued that there was a risk of significant rains of more than 20 cm and landslides,” Amit Shah stated.
On July 23, the Home Minister announced that nine NDRF teams had been dispatched to Kerala to investigate the risk of landslides. “What has the Kerala administration done? Have the people shifted? “And if they were shifted, how did they die?” he enquired.
Pinarayi Vijayan stated that the central government’s weather alert for Wayanad predicted rainfall ranging from 115 to 204 mm. However, in the next 48 hours, the area received 572 mm of rain.
The Chief Minister added that there was just an orange notice sent out on the day of the landslip. “Prior to the incident, there was no red alert in the neighborhood. He said that they did not issue a red alert until after the landslip had happened, which was about six a.m. that day.
The Indian Geological Survey issued a green notice for July 30 and July 31 due to the possibility of small-scale landslides or rock bursts, the Chief Minister announced on July 29. But by then, he claimed, there had been a lot of rain and the landslide had already happened.
The Central Water Commission, which is in charge of issuing flood warnings, did not issue any for Chaliyar or Iruvazhinji Puzha between July 23 and July 29. Information that contradicts these facts has been submitted in Parliament by the Union Home Minister,” he stated.
When they (Amit Shah) proudly claim that we are the best (among countries in terms of prior alerts), I am simply pointing out that such errors have occurred in the past. “I’m not saying this to blame them,” Pinarayi Vijayan remarked.