Photo courtesy LWSIT.
Situation
Kerala state is among the regions in India currently being impacted by devastating monsoon flooding. The ACT Alliance reports:
During the evening of 9th August 2018 the state of Kerala witnessed severe flooding owing to consistent rains for a couple of days. The vigorous southwest monsoon has left a trail of destruction across Kerala, killing at least 87 people so far. The monsoon eventually increased the water level in in many dams/reservoirs in Kerala, and flooded many areas in northern districts, namely Idukki, Ernakulam, Malapuram, Kozhikode, Palakkad and Wyanad. The flooding damaged infrastructure of around 10,000 kms of roads and 20,000 houses. The release of water from dams extensively damaged the district around Idukki and Ernakulam. The excessive rains in other parts also led to flooding in Wyanad, Kozhikode, Palakadd and Malapuram Districts. Idukki and Wayand, being hilly terrains, also witnessed severe landslides and road blocks, which reportedly caused 40 deaths. Around 150,000 people have moved to various camps in the state. The army and the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in all affected districts. Roads have been cut off and many districts are witnessing power shut down as a precautionary measure. The power shutdown is expected to lead to a drinking water crisis. This flood is the second wave of flooding in Kerala this monsoon season. The first wave of floods affected Wayanad district and the Kuttanad area of Kerala.
CWS Response
CWS will be contributing funds to the ACT Alliance response and recovery efforts. These funds will support Lutheran World Service India Trust, one of the primary implementing partners in the ACT Alliance response and the primary partner of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
We encourage our partners and supporters to also support the ACT alliance response.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) is also supporting the response in Kerala state through their partner Society for National Integration through Rural Development.
Church World Service is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy. Click here to see the full concept note from the ACT Alliance about this response.