Thiruvananthapuram, August 21
The Kerala Cabinet has decided to distribute free Onam kits to all ration cardholders in areas in Wayanad that were affected by the recent landslides, said the Chief Minister's office.
The Onam kits will contain 13 essential food items. Onam is an annual harvest festival in Kerala and it is also an official festival of the state.
The Cabinet has also decided to distribute free Onam kits to Antyodaya Anna Yojana cardholders and residents of welfare institutions across the state.
The Wayanad landslide occurred on July 30 this year. The disaster affected nearly 47.37 km2 of the Meppadi Gram Panchayat in Wayanad. The death toll stands at over 400. The worst-affected areas include Chooralmala, Muthanga, and Mundakkai.
In August 14, the Kerala cabinet subcommittee said that financial assistance of Rs 10,000 each has been made available to 379 families directly affected by the landslides.
"Payment was made through bank accounts. Those who have lost their passbook, those who do not remember their account number, if they inform which bank the account is in, the concerned bank will find and deposit the money. For those who do not remember the bank details, the amount will be paid based on the person's address by checking with the banks. If this is not available, then a new account will be opened at zero balance and the amount will be paid," the subcommittee said.
The landslides were triggered by a burst of rainfall that was made about 10 per cent heavier by human-caused climate change, a study has found.
The study by World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international group of researchers, found that the excessive rainfall in the early hours of July 30 that triggered the landslides was a "once in a-50-year event".
The study highlights the need for rigorous assessments of landslide risk and improved early warning in hillside regions of northern Kerala to prevent repeat landslide disasters.
The study was conducted by 24 researchers as part of the World Weather Attribution group, including scientists from universities and meteorological agencies in India, Malaysia, the United States, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
"The available climate models indicate a 10 per cent increase in intensity. Under a future warming scenario where the global temperature is two degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels, climate models predict even heavier 1-day rainfall events, with a further expected increase of about 4 per cent in rainfall intensity," the study said.