Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Centre had given an early warning to the Kerala government on heavy rains and potential natural disasters seven days in advance of the landslide in Wayanad, which has claimed 162 lives so far.
In his response to a Calling Attention Motion in Lok Sabha, the Minister said, “My condolences to the bereaved families. I want to clarify something for the country. I want to clarify that on July 23, the government of India gave an early warning to the government of Kerala, which was 7 days before the incident and then on July 24 and 25 too, early warning was given.”
“On July 26, a warning was given that there was a chance of heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm and there were chances of landslides, there could be mud flow and people could lose lives in this. Questions are being raised about the early warning system of the government.”
The Home Minister informed the lower house that the government spent ₹2,000 crore after 2014 on early warning systems.
Shah claimed that under the early warning system, on July 23, on his direction, nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were sent considering that there could be landslides.
‘What govt did?’
“What did the Kerala government do? Were the people shifted? And if they were shifted, then how did they die? The project of early warning started in 2016 and by 2023, India had the most modern early warning system. There are only four countries to predict 7 days in advance and India is one among them,” he added.
This is a time to stand “like a rock” with Wayanad. The Modi government is committed to this, he asserted.
“I would like to tell the people of Kerala and Wayanad through this House that the government of India will provide every possible help and every possible effort for rescue, relief and rehabilitation,” Shah said.
Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains struck Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha hamlets in the early hours of Tuesday, killing several people, including women and children.