India’s monsoon season has hit Kerala with enough force to trigger landslides and rushing waters so strong that people are being swept to their deaths.
So far, more than 80 people have died due to the severe weather, and there are still weeks of monsoon season to go.
Monsoon season in India is often a sight to behold, as the natural beauty is enhanced with vibrant greens which normally underly the Asian countryside.
However, when the waters become severe enough, the landscape gives way to a deep brown as floods engulf vast swathes of the country.
This year’s deadly flooding has taken much more of a toll on Kerala, as people are being crushed in landslides and drowned by steadily rising water.
The major Keralan city of Kochi has seen its Cochin International Airport close as rains swoop in.
Now areas of Kochi are cut off, and flights are being redirected to nearby cities Thiruvananthpuram and Calicut.
State government is working hard to remove those under threat from the area and provide the necessary assistance where needed.
Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu assured citizens via twitter that they would still receive assistance despite closures.
He said: ”The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the domestic airlines will be extending full support to the State Government of Kerala in airlifting food items and other relief material free of cost on their scheduled services, subject only to operational constraints, if any.”
The Foreign Office has also issued warnings for travelling in the area, saying that people should be taking care if on holiday in India.
Fears of a natural disaster comparable to the Keralan great floods of 99 are also now gripping residents.
What were the great floods of 99?
The most dangerous floods ever recorded in Kerala, the great floods of 99 took place in the Malayalam Era 1099, July 1924 on the western Gregorian calendar.
Severe flooding in the region took more than 1,000 lives as more than 3,000 millilitres of rain fell on the region.
Now, almost a century later, it seems that monsoon waters are rivalling those from 1924.
This year, 2,087.67 mm of rain has pelted Kerala, from June 1 and August 15, hailing a 30 percent increase from previous years.
A total of 215 landslides have apparently taken place this year, and roads of 10,000km in length have been damaged by constant rains.
Normally, roughly 1,606.05 mm of rain is expected in Kerala, and until recently the monsoon has been drier than usual.
Less than average rainfall was observed in the period 1901 to 2016, but from 2015 rainfall each year has been steadily increasing.