Reviews mark day after deluge in Kerala; 4 more killed

Receding waters marked a break from two days of flooding in Kerala on Saturday as the state government announced compensation to the affected, reviewed relief measures and preparedness for more rains forecast till Wednesday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took an aerial survey of the flood-hit regions, visited relief camps and reviewed the situation in Wayanad and Ernakulam districts. His team’s visit to the scheduled first stop — Idukki — was dropped due to inclement weather.

At Wayanad, the chief minister announced Rs 4 lakh as compensation for the kin of people killed in rain-related incidents and Rs 10 lakh for people who lost both houses and land. Vijayan was accompanied in his visit by senior officials and Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala.

“The government is amending guidelines based on which compensation in such cases is announced. Local authorities along with voluntary organisations will coordinate efforts to help people return to their homes and tackle possible health and sanitation issues,” the chief minister said after a review meeting here. About 57,000 people are housed in 457 relief camps in the state.

The state government has called for assistance from non-resident Keralites in overcoming the flood crisis. Actors Mohanlal and Mammootty have appealed to people through their social media pages to make contributions to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.

Four more deaths

Four more deaths in rain-related incidents were reported on Saturday, taking the toll during the past three days to 33.

In Anchuthengu in Thiruvananthapuram district, two fishermen — Sahayaraj (57) and Carmel Lazar (70) — died after their country boat capsized in the sea.

The bodies of a 40-year-old woman and her daughter were found from flood-water in Nedumudi in Alappuzha, a region severely hit by the floods.