NEW DELHI: Torrential rains and landslides killed at least 24 people in southern India on Thursday, with the authorities opening the shutters of 24 water reservoirs in an unprecedented move to prevent potentially disastrous breaches, officials said.
The June-September rains in Kerala state have cost 175 lives and damaged crops worth 3.42 billion rupees ($49.81 million) across 26,824 hectares (66,284 acres) since their onset on May 29, an official at the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), who did not wish to be identified, said.
The state meteorological department forecast rains to continue on Friday and return on Monday.
“Kerala has received 17 percent more rainfall so far during the current season compared with last year,” K. Santhosh, Kerala director of India’s Meteorological Department, told Reuters.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced, several are missing, with incessant rains for more than 48 hours in some areas inundating hectares of low-lying land, authorities said.
The National Disaster Relief Force and the armed forces are helping in rescue and relief operations, they added.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “24 dams have been opened so far, which is unprecedented and is telling of the seriousness of the situation.”
The state, which has 44 rivers, witnessed its worst floods in 1924 following torrential rains.
“The situation is grim, especially in the coastal parts of Kerala, given the continuous rains,” P.H. Kurian, State Relief Commissioner and Convenor of KSDMA told Reuters.
One of the five shutters of a large reservoir in northern Idukki district, about 240 km (150 miles) from state capital Thiruvananthapuram, was opened for the first time in 26 years.
The maximum storage level of the reservoir, which is one of the largest arch dams in Asia, is 2,403 feet.
“If the rain continues, the other shutters will also be opened. All residents living along 100 meters of the dam have been asked to relocate to safe places,” a Kerala State Electricity Board official in Idukki, who did not wish to be named, said.
With its sweeping coastline, riverboats and tea plantations, Kerala, about the size of Bhutan, has become a leading tourist destination, promoting itself as ‘God’s Own Country’, and has seen a boom in infrastructure.
“Wetland refilling, encroachment and unauthorized construction in river banks and conversion of paddy fields have affected the flow of water, leading to stagnation and flash floods,” another official at KSDMA said on condition of anonymity.
Rains, landslides kill 24, displace thousands in India’s Kerala state
Rains, landslides kill 24, displace thousands in India’s Kerala state
- The maximum storage level of the reservoir, which is one of the largest arch dams in Asia, is 2,403 feet
- Kerala has become a leading tourist destination, promoting itself as ‘God’s Own Country’, and has seen a boom in infrastructure
France warns of ‘provocation’ if Russian drone buzzed aircraft carrier
- Sweden said one of its navy vessels had spotted and jammed the drone 13 kilometers from France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier
- Barrot stressed that the drone could never have posed any real threat to the vessel
MALMO, Sweden: France’s foreign minister said Friday that if a drone seen this week near a French aircraft carrier visiting Sweden turned out to be Russian — a claim Moscow called “absurd” — it would be a “ridiculous provocation.”
Sweden said one of its navy vessels had spotted and jammed the drone 13 kilometers (eight miles) from France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
On Thursday, Sweden’s Defense Minister Pal Jonson told the broadcaster SVT that the drone was “probably” of Russian origin.
“There was a Russian military vessel in the immediate vicinity at the time,” he added.
“If indeed... there is a potential Russian origin for this incident, the only conclusion I would draw is that it would be a ridiculous provocation,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told journalists aboard the aircraft carrier.
Barrot stressed that the drone could never have posed any real threat to the vessel.
“The drone was neutralized away from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and in no way was the security of the aircraft carrier and its group threatened by this.”
- ‘Absurd’ accusation: Moscow -
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed his country’s position in comments Friday.
“It is likely a Russian drone,” Kristersson told reporters during a visit to the aircraft carrier.
“We are now investigating it in more detail, but there is a lot to suggest that this is the case.”
He did not believe it was a coincidence that the incident occurred while the aircraft carrier was visiting, he added. “It is a Russian way of acting that we recognize from other places.”
Asked about the allegation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists it was “quite an absurd statement.”
According to the Swedish authorities, its navy jammed the drone using electronic signals to attempt to break the connection between the aircraft and its operator, or disrupt its navigation tools.
- Numerous drone sightings -
The Swedish Armed Forces said Thursday that “no further drone sightings” had been made and that they were investigating the incident.
The French Navy’s flagship and its escort, made a port call on Wednesday for the first time in the Swedish port of Malmo, before joining NATO exercises.
Speaking to reporters, Alice Rufo, the number two minister at the French defense ministry, played down the incident.
“We cannot describe what happened as an incident. There was indeed a drone, which was dealt with very pro-actively by our Swedish partner,” Rufo said.
The drone had been stopped over 10 kilometers away from “the Charles de Gaulle, which in any case is fully ready to be completely protected, with every measure in place,” she added.
The nearby Baltic Sea is a theater of rivalry between Russia and the NATO alliance countries.
NATO’s easternmost countries have reported numerous drone sightings in recent months, with some pointing the finger at Russia.
Four years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is growing concern that such disruption could be part of hybrid war tactics by Moscow against the European nations which have backed Kyiv.
