Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan refuted Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that the state was warned about a potential natural calamity in Wayanad as early as July 23 due to heavy rains.
“This is not the time for blame games. Reports from the Rajya Sabha indicate that the Union Home Minister asserted that a warning was issued and that Kerala did not respond appropriately,” Vijayan said at a press conference.
Vijayan explained that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued only an orange alert for the district before the landslides. However, Wayanad received over 500 millimeters of rain, significantly more than the IMD’s forecast.
“The orange alert predicted rainfall between 115 and 204 mm. In reality, the area received 200 mm in the first 24 hours and 372 mm in the next 24 hours, totaling 572 mm in 48 hours—far exceeding the initial warning. The region had never been on red alert before the disaster, which was only issued at 6 am after the incident,” Vijayan said.
He noted that between July 23 and July 28, the Central Meteorological Department did not issue any orange alerts for heavy rain in Kerala. An orange alert for Wayanad was only issued at 1 pm on July 29, and the red alert for heavy rain came only at 6 am on July 30, after the landslides had occurred.
The Geological Survey of India issued a green alert for July 30 and 31 at 2 pm on July 29, indicating a possibility of minor landslides or rock bursts, but heavy rain and landslides had already occurred by then, Vijayan said.
From July 23 to 29, the Central Water Commission did not issue any warnings for Iruvazhinji Puzha or Chaliyar. “The Union Home Minister’s statements in Parliament are inconsistent with these facts,” Vijayan added.
He emphasized that Kerala had requested nine NDRF teams at the start of the rainy season, and a team was already deployed in Wayanad. Preparations were made based on advance information about potential floods and other natural calamities, including landslides.
Vijayan stressed the need for proactive measures to address climate change, urging that the central government should also take serious action. “This is not the time for blaming each other. We are facing a disaster, and it is crucial to rescue survivors, locate those buried, restore affected areas, and rebuild. We call for collective support for Kerala during this critical time,” he said.
In Parliament, Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that Kerala could have reduced losses in Wayanad if it had acted on early warnings. Shah noted that the central government had sent nine NDRF teams on July 23 and three more on July 29. He stated that early warnings were given on July 23, 24, 25, and 26, and questioned what actions the Kerala government took in response.
Shah emphasized that the central government has invested Rs 2000 crores since 2014 to improve the early warning system and claimed that India now has one of the most advanced systems globally.
Meanwhile, rescue operations continue in Wayanad’s Chooralmala area, with 1,200 rescue workers from various organizations deployed. The Indian Army has evacuated over 1,000 people, and the Indian Air Force is also conducting search and rescue operations.
The landslides on July 30 caused widespread destruction, damaging homes, roads, and water bodies. The first landslide occurred at 2 am, followed by another at 4:10 am. Many areas remain isolated, and the Vellarmala GVH School was completely buried.
Vijayan assured that power supply has been restored in Kalpetta town and hospitals, and reported a loss of Rs 3 crore in Chooralmala and Mundakkai areas. He urged against spreading false information and stressed the need for unity and constructive efforts to address the disaster.
He announced that the cabinet has requested the disaster be declared a national disaster and assured that relief funds will be used appropriately without misappropriation.