Time-bound financial assistance would be provided to those who suffered loss of life and property in the landslides and floods in various parts of Kerala during the recent heavy rains after assessment of the damage by the various departments, Chief Minister of the State Pinarayi Vijayan said on Monday.
The Chief Minister's statement came during the Assembly session. He said emergency financial assistance has already been provided to the dependents of the deceased and missing persons. Apart from this, various schemes — including disaster management plans — worth Rs 7,800 crore are also being implemented at the local body-level, he said. The schemes have already been given administrative sanction and have been at various stages of implementation, he said.
Besides these, flood mitigation initiatives like 'Room for River' are also being implemented, he said. He said as part of the flood mitigation efforts, the depth of Pampa and Achankovil rivers — which are one of the main causes of floods in Kuttanad region — has been increased by widening their beds by around 360 metres.
The Chief Minister said the detailed project report for the next phase of the 'Room for River' project is being prepared and as part of that, steps would be taken to increase the depth and width of the canals to ensure smooth flow of water. The Chengandayar has been deepened from Vembanad Lake to Manikandan River and projects, including 'Room for Vembanad', are being implemented to avoid standing water.
He further said 3.8 lakh volunteers have been trained and equipped for community-based disaster mitigation and in addition to that, the Department of Fire and Rescue has trained Civil Defence volunteers and deployed 50 Civil Defense Forces comprising 6,450 personnel at 129 fire stations. Besides these, under the Re-Build Kerala initiative — launched in the aftermath of the 2018 floods — steps are being taken to rebuild the State in a manner which is environment-friendly and ensures the State is resilient to future natural disasters, the Chief Minister said.
With the help of the State Disaster Management Authority, the Co-operation Department is implementing the 'Care Home' scheme for those who have lost their homes in the 2018 floods, he added.
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