Kerala was warned 7 days before landslide,said Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the Kerala government was warned as early as July 23 regarding a possible natural calamity in Wayanad due to heavy rains and nine NDRF teams were rushed to the state the same day. However, the Kerala government did not heed to the early warning and also did not get alerted even by arrival of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions, Shah said in the Rajya Sabha. Shah assured the House that the Narendra Modi government was standing a like a "rock" with the Kerala government and people of the state in this moment of the tragedy. He also promised all help from the central government.The home minister said that the warnings continued for another three days and on July 26, it was told that there would be a heavy downpour of more than 20 centimetres which can trigger landslides and slush, risking people's safety.
“Members have raised questions about the Government of India's warning system. They are shouting ‘please listen to us,’ but I want to tell them, please read the warning sent to the state,” Amit Shah said.He said that many state governments have followed the Centre's warnings, resulting in zero casualties in disaster management.Shah said that the Government of India has had an early warning system after 2014 and Rs 2000 crore has been spent on it and warnings are being sent to every state and available on the website also. He informed the Rajya Sabha that there is a system in place for rains, heatwaves, storms and lightning also.

Watch: "On July 23, the Government of India issued a warning to the Kerala government. Warnings were sent on the 24th, 25th, and 26th, stating that there would be heavy rainfall exceeding 20 cm, with the possibility of landslides and mud rushes that could result in fatalities.… pic.twitter.com/lcVpRCLxq5

— IANS (@ians_india) July 31, 2024

Union Minister George Kurian, who visited Wayanad on Tuesday night, said earlier that PM Modi is closely monitoring the situation.