Kerala toll 210, 7.25 lakh displaced

The rescue operations in flood-ravaged Kerala entered the last phase with week-long rains largely abated and daily death toll sliding to 16. Rehabilitation work gained momentum with the Centre set to send cereals and medical items amid increased participation of governmental bodies and voluntary organisations.

The death toll touched 210 on a day several riverine towns and villages resurfaced from the deluge. Waste disposal became the area of focus, with more people returning to their homes littered with muck even as 5,645 refugee camps housed 7.25 lakh displaced in the disaster.

Red alert has been withdrawn in all 14 districts. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said most of the state’s 39 dams had begun shutting more of their sluice gates. Most of the marooned had been rescued and the focus would now be on rehabilitation, he added.

Road traffic resumed partly on vital roads like national and state highways, while the Railways announced it wouldn’t charge freight if the consignment to Kerala was relief material.

Most of the 23,213 rescued persons expressed anger over the delay in moving them to safer places. — TNS