khayali-pulao:

This monsoon, the southern state of Kerala in India has seen rains and flooding of unprecedented and calamitous proportions. Subin Dennis puts it in perspective (via Facebook):

Most people in India would find it difficult to really understand how heavy the rainfall that has occurred in Kerala during this monsoon is.

Kerala, even in “normal” years, gets the highest amount of rainfall among all major States in India.

The average annual normal rainfall for Kerala is nearly 3000 millimetres – 2924.3 mm, to be exact. (Hence the verdant green you would see in a satellite image of the State.)

By contrast, neighbouring Tamil Nadu gets 912.4 mm rainfall. Karnataka gets 1147.1 mm, Andhra Pradesh 890 mm, and Telangana 942.6 mm.

Haryana gets a mere 554.7 mm, Delhi gets 747.1 mm, and Uttar Pradesh, 965.3 mm. West Bengal gets 1795.8 mm and Assam gets 2296.8 mm. Maharashtra gets 1151.1 mm, while Madhya Pradesh gets 1048.4 mm.

This is the “normal” (the long-term average of 50 years).

But this year, from 1 June (the onset of the South-West monsoon in India) to 15 August 2018, Kerala has received excess rainfall of 30%. The normal rainfall in this period should have been 1606.5 mm. Instead the State has received 2086.8 mm. The rains and floods are the heaviest since 1924.

Ernakulam district has received 21% excess rain, while Thiruvananthapuram district has got 37% excess rain. Kottayam and Malappuram districts have received 41% excess rain each.

Idukki district, which has major dams such as the Idukki-Cheruthoni-Kulamavu dam complex and the Mullaperiyar dam, has received a whopping 70% excess rain. As expected, the district has seen many landslips and casualties.

The situation in the State is extremely serious.

The shutters of 35 out of 39 dams in Kerala have been opened to release water. Red Alert has been issued in all 14 districts. Scores of people have lost their lives. Tens of thousands of people are living in relief camps. More people are being evacuated from their homes as torrential rains haven’t stopped and flood waters continue to run riot.

There are several ways to contribute. You may donate to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMRDF). The account details are:

Account Number: 67319948232
Bank: State Bank of India
Branch: City Branch, Thiruvananthapuram
IFS Code: SBIN0070028

You can also visit their website and make a tax-exempt donation through their payment portal; all major credit cards are accepted, and there are multiple payment gateways:

https://donation.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in

For Indian citizens donating from within India, your donations are exempt from Income Tax. For those donating from outside India, your contributions are welcome and exempt from the FCRA 2010 Act.

This website – https://keralarescue.in – has also consolidated relief and volunteer efforts, for those within India/in proximity to Kerala.

Please, please donate as much as you can to Kerala – a state that many may be familiar with as tourists, or via family (as I am). Please signal-boost this and urge your networks to do the same.