Death toll since end of May reaches 370, as fishermen aid rescue operations for the southern state’s ‘worst floods’.

More than 800,000 people have been displaced in Kerala, as the death toll from the worst flooding to hit the southern Indian state jumped to at least 370, with losses to infrastructure pegged at almost $3bn.

As the rains subsided on Sunday, relief efforts focused on rescuing those marooned in isolated places for days and airdropping supplies to others, police and officials said.

Kerala has been lashed by torrential monsoon rains since the end of May, triggering landslides and flash floods that have swept away entire villages. Incessant downpours since August 8 have killed more than 190 people and left thousands more stranded.

“In a matter of three to four days, we have been able to move nearly 850,000 people to shelters,” TM Thomas Isaac, Kerala’s finance minister, says finance minister.

“I think the total number of displaced persons, including those who have been moved to relatives’ or friends’ houses, would be well over 1.5 million,” he added in a phone interview from Alappuzha, Kerala.

On Sunday alone, 22,000 people were evacuated from their homes, but a large number of people continue to voluntarily live in flooded houses.

“We saw many people whose ground floors of their homes were knee and waist-deep in the water,” said Al Jazeera’s Andrew Thomas, reporting from Andoor.

“They are living upstairs because they want to stay where they are,” he said,

“So, the overall figure of people whose homes have been flooded and have been affected by this disaster is in the millions,” Thomas added. “It really is a huge disaster in this part of India.”

Thousands of army, air force and navy troops, along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), are undertaking the search and rescue operations.

Fishermen from across Kerala have also come together to aid the relief efforts.

“The fisherfolk have played a very remarkable role,” said Isaac, Kerala’s finance minister. “About 500 fisheries boats have been at the forefront of the rescue and shifting operations.

“The fisherfolk have been able to move to interior lakes systems and rivers to help the people.”

On Saturday, fisherman Jaisal KP, a 32-year-old resident of Tanur, rescued three stranded women – one with an infant – in the Malappuram area.

Putting his back into it. Quiet literally. Jaisal KP a fisherman in Vengara puts himself in water so women and children can use his back as a step into the boat. 600 fisherman helping out in #KeralaFloods the unsung heroes. #Salute

“NDRF personnel who were leading the rescue operations informed us they won’t be able to reach the place where these women were stranded,” Jaisal.

“I, along with my co-workers [fishermen], helped them. We have no safety guards or any equipment. We are risking our lives to rescue these people.”

Anunand, 22, who was trapped for four days in Paravoor, was also saved by the fishermen.

“If it wasn’t for them [fishermen], I would’ve died inside the flat,” the graduate student told Al Jazeera in a phone interview.

On Monday, the military will continue to fly helicopters in order to drop aid materials in the more remote communities,

People wait for aid next to a make-shift raft at a flooded area in Kerala state [Sivaram V/Reuters]
Rebuilding
As of Sunday, two districts out of the state’s 14 were still under red alert.

The Indian government has pledged $71m for flood victims, but Isaac said the state will have to re-negotiate to get a “better deal”.

“One-third of the roads have been completely damaged and the cost of rebuilding them would come over $1bn rupees ($14.3m), so this is a very serious matter.”

Around 100,000 houses will also have to be rebuilt and large amounts of plastic rubbish – comprising mostly water bottles provided in aid packages and washed away by the floodwaters – will have to be cleared out, he added.

The state government will reach out to multinational agencies to rebuild the water systems, Isaac said.

“This calamity also points to some serious imbalance in development and the environmental consideration,” the finance minister added.

“Hope this disaster will prompt us to pick a more sustainable development path.”

The amount of rain that has fallen is unexpectedly high this year, according to Al Jazeera’s senior meteorologist Steff Gaulter.

“Normally, by this point in the monsoon season, we expect to see about 1,649mm of rain. But this year it was 2,344mm. This is well over what we’d expect in the entire monsoon season, and we still have another month to go,” she said.

The authority forecasted that the unstable weather that covers Mecca, Minna and Arafat would continue this night. The rain occurs while around two million pilgrims are residing in Minna in tents to mark the Day of Tarwiyah ritual.

No warning was issued concerning the safety of pilgrims who will leave for Arafat area by the dawn of Monday.

Al Arabiya’s images and videos on social media showed the Kaaba’s Kiswa, an embroidered cloth that wraps around Islam’s most sacred site, being moved out of place due to the high winds in Mecca on Sunday evening.

Hajj season is being managed in Saudi with tight security and high safety standards to ensure the wellbeing of pilgrims.

The Kerala government on Sunday informed the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) that the situation in the flood-ravaged state was gradually improving, even as some rainfall was forecast for the coastal state from Monday onwards.

The information was shared in an NCMC review meeting — the forth consecutive meeting since August 16 — which was attended by Secretaries of Defence, Health, Civil Aviation, Food Processing and Power Ministries, Chairman of Railway Board and senior officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The NCMC meeting is held to coordinate rescue and relief operations in Kerala.

“Kerala Chief Secretary (Tom Jose) participated in the NCMC meeting through videoconference. He said that the situation is gradually improving (in Kerala),” said the Union Home Ministry on Sunday.

A Ministry statement said that “India Meteorological Department has forecast less rainfall from Monday onwards in Kerala”.

Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha, during the meeting, directed all Ministries concerned to focus on emergency supplies of food, water, medicines and restoration of essential services as flood waters recede.

He said thousands of defence force personnel, NDRF and paramilitary forces were engaged in rescue and relief operations with support of dozens of helicopters, aircraft, and motorboats and the “operations will continue till the situation becomes normal”.

The Indian Railways said that two special trains will be run on Monday from Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam to Kolkata and that the train services are expected to be restored on all lines in Kerala by Monday evening.

The Railways said it would provide blankets and bedsheets to the affected people in Kerala.

“A train with 14,00,000 litres of water and a Navy ship with 800,000 litres of water will reach Kerala by Monday. Commercial flights will also start operating from Kochi Naval Base from Monday. All logistic arrangements have been put in place. Over 50,000 metric tonnes of food grains have made available, with more quantities in the pipeline. Arrangements are being made to airlift 100 metric tonnes of pulses by Mondy, with more to be sent by train.

“Over 9,300 kilolitres of kerosene has been made available while another 12,000 kilolitres will be allocated. The LPG bottling plant in Kochi has also been reopened,” the NCMC was told.

The Civil Aviation officials informed the NCMC that Air India has offered to airlift relief material free of cost, while the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that it was airlifting 60 tonnes of medicines on Monday and put six specialised medical teams on standby in the state.

The NCMC, which commenced its meetings on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directions, will meet again on Monday.

In the worst ever torrential rains in Kerala in this monsoon season, 370 lives have been lost and 724,649 persons evacuated to 5,645 camps so far.