#Keralafloods19 22 people killed so far, 22000 in 315 relief camps (more than half of them in Wayanad), says CM. 24 landslides so far. Trains cancelled in Alappuzha. Kochi airport shut. Banasura Sagar dam, biggest earthen dam in India that will flow more water to Wayanad, opened.
Kerala may get a breather as the current incessant rains are likely to subside after Saturday. But the worst may yet to come. From 15 Aug, another spell of extremely heavy rains expected. In its favour, 7 big dams are at 30% of their storage capacity, as per the power board KSEB.
Nearly all of Kerala's major rivers— Bharathapuzha, Chaliyar, Meenachil, Periyar, Pamba— are breaching banks. News channels showing visuals of low lying areas in all of northern districts and Idukki in shoulder-high waters or impacted by landslides.
Situation grim in Wayanad& Nilambur. 7 dead bodies recovered from a landslide near a colony of tea estate workers near Wayanad's Meppadi. 70 houses damaged, reports say. Army& NDRF on the spot.
7 deaths reported in Nilambur, where even two-story buildings flooded: local reports.
12pm update: 26069 people evacuated so far
Asianet News reports a major landslide in Malappuram's Kavalappara, 30 houses affected and several people feared to be missing or dead. This could be the biggest tragedy yet if NDRF team doesn't reach asap, says the reporter Saniyo. Govt says an NDRF team heading to the spot.
Asianet News reports a major landslide in Malappuram's Kavalappara, 30 houses affected and several people feared to be missing or dead. This could be the biggest tragedy yet if NDRF team doesn't reach asap, says the reporter Saniyo. Govt says an NDRF team heading to the spot.
Floods destroyed Kasargode's Kottappuram–Achamthuruthi footbridge, Kerala's largest bridge across a river (400m-long).
A correction: Banasura Sagar dam not opened yet, likely to be opened tomorrow morning only. Just spoke to a senior KSEB official.
Another major hit on connectivity. Railways cancel all trains bound to Kozhikode from Ernakulam until further notice. Meanwhile, two additional teams of NDRF (50 people in total) moved to Wayanad.
Another major landslide reported near Nilambur's Bhoothanam. Over 30 houses were on the spot, 50 people feared missing or dead, Manorama reports.
Message in journo WhatsApp group: CM will be going for a recce by Indian Air Force helicopter from Air Force station technical area Shangumukham by 4pm.
Graphix: No. of dams currently open in Kerala. Source: Malayala Manorama Online
Acc to one report, between yesterday and today 8.30am, Kerala received 156.3 mm, similar to floods in 2018; 4 stations received more than 300mm and 11 stations received more than 200mm; highest in Palakkad's Alathur.
Guess what? Even with this level of rainfall, Kerala is likely to be still rain deficit. Monsoon started on 1 June, but the rains didn't start. On 17 July, it was 48% rain deficit. It's either a no show Adoor movie or a houseful Angamaly Diaries.
#KeralaFloods19 Rainfall prediction for the next four days (as of Friday 1pm). Red state today all the way from the northern tip to the south until Kottayam.
Landslide at Kavalappara in Nilambur, Malappuram dist, is possibly the worst case reported in #KeralaFloods19 so far. An entire hill is washed away, 30 families on the foothills feared dead/missing, acc local reports. One body, of a four-year old girl, recovered. NDRF on the spot
The other major landslide: Meppadi in Wayanad. Six bodies recovered, hundreds rescued (many had been evacuated before the rains intensified). NDRF-led search and rescue ongoing.
#KeralaFloods19: 28 deaths, 64013 evacuated, 738 camps opened (as of 3pm, death and missing nos are clearly higher now). Rs 22.5 cr immediate assistance sanctioned for flood relief.
#FakeNews floating that 24 hour power cut tmrw. No such thing, says public relations officer of KSEB.
#KeralaFloods Friday summary: Waters inching up to even two-story houses. People forced to leave their homes in shoulder-high waters. Corpses recovered from hills, houses smashed in landslides. 28 people killed. 64,013 in camps. ₹1000 cr damage livemint.com/news/india/ker…
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Dr. K.S. Manilal, one of Kerala’s greatest unsung heroes, has passed away. He discovered new plants, rediscovered what was believed to be extinct, helped save Silent Valley, and unlocked a 300-year-old botanical mystery in Latin—yet many Malayalis may not have known his name. 🧵
In the 1970s, Silent Valley became a battlefield. KSEB wanted to build a dam, sparking protests. They weaponized Dr. B.K. Nair, a Calicut University professor, whose report claimed the Valley wasn’t unique. Manilal, his junior, secured a grant and vanished into the forest.
He and three students— C.R. Suresh, C. Satheeshkumar, and T. Sabu— spent 400 nights in Silent Valley, enduring leeches, poisonous plants, wild elephants, and relentless rain. In 4 years, they published “Flora of Silent Valley”, which showed science outweighed convenience.
Anasuya Sengupta, who grew up in Kolkata and studied at Jadavpur University, has become the first Indian to win the Cannes Best Actor award.
"The Shameless," directed by Konstantin Bojanov, seems like a film mainstream Bollywood wouldn’t dare to finance or act in.
It looks🧵
at the harsh reality of a Delhi brothel, through the eyes of a woman on the run, acc to reports. The movie faced endless delays& financial nightmares before #Cannes2024.
Bojanov told The Hindu: “There were points when I nearly gave up on the film”. Tanmay Dhanania, one of the
film's stars (@tanmaydhanania), had blasted on IG about indie makers scraping for funds while clueless influencers get sponsored to walk the red carpet. It’s absurd. These actors had to resort to IG for support to attend Cannes. The lack of genuine support for these talents is
In 2003, he formed Believers Church, where he was practically the Pope.
Gospel For Asia, which he founded in 1979, supposedly raised $700 million for Indian charities btw 2003-2014. Over $100 million of this money allegedly disappeared annually.
He developed massive Indian and US homes and offices during this time. He ran a 2300-acre rubber estate, a large engineering and medical institution, and six schools in Kerala. He even had a football team, GFA FC, playing for Myanmar National League.
A story about journalistic curiousity, epic homes and 2000km bus rides to work.
Years ago, I came across this data: 7-9% of Kerala's middle- and low-income workforce disappears during Bihar's Chhath festival. After months of my editor pressing me to write about this, I dove in🧵
It was relatively an easy story. As a Malayali, this was my lived reality. Migrant workers were everywhere in Kerala, from your neighborhood tea chettan to carpenter to fishermen to front office staff. They were so common that Churches held Sunday masses in Odia, Hindi etc. But
further research stunned me: 1 in 4 adult males in Kerala were interstate migrants. Kerala employed 2.5 million people from Odisha, Bihar, Assam, UP, etc. Soon, they'll be 5 million. We published Great Indian Migration: Kerala's Silent Revolution. However t.ly/Xg9KX
Ordinary people who stand up for liberal causes despite opposition have my admiration. Here's one such story. C Shukoor, who made you laugh in #NnaThaanCaseKodu, is remarrying his wife of 29 years, Sheena, on this Women's Day. Why? It's political defiance to a 7th century law.
Under Muslim Personal Law in which he married first, his daughters will receive two-thirds of his money. The family's men would get the rest. Shukoor, a practicing Muslim, believes Islamic law as applied in Prophet Mohammed's day should not influence his daughters' inheritance.
He's remarrying Sheena Shukoor under the Special Marriage Act on Women's Day as a solution. He says it's not money but about respecting Article 15 of the Constitution, which says the State shall not discriminate any citizen on the ground of gender.
When an expat Malayali called home his parents ystdy, they had an obvious matter to discuss— the death of French filmmaker Godard. Why?
His father, a 70s Kerala film society product, had named him after Godard. His brother was named Fellini (who is a Malayalam filmmaker now) 🧵
Who was Godard for Keralites?
Half a dozen Malayalam books, several regional film fests (there was one even in Dec in Kannur)& vernacular magazine covers were dedicated to him. Radical Left film society devotees of 70s-80s pride themselves in saying, there is no God, only Godard
He’s venerated for showing what he showed in movies like Hail Mary. In Kozhikode, we were brought up on a steady supply of Godard diet by the likes of Chelavur Venu (a leader of film society movement). It was a pleasure to bunk classes for it.