Kerala has a lot to learn from the mini-flash flood triggered by overnight extreme heavy rainfall in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday midnight.
Though various agencies are engaged in a blame game, including Ministers for the alleged failure of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a warning in advance, the flash flood literally exposed the chinks in the disaster preparedness of urban areas in the State, as a good number of regions that witnessed the latest urban flooding in the capital were close to newly built-up areas or areas that were not listed in the flood hazard map of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).
First and foremost, the flash flood was a result of an extreme precipitation of 211.4 mm rain, recorded in the ordinary rain gauge of the IMD set up in Thiruvananthapuram city in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 a.m. on Sunday. The rain recorded on the previous days at the same station during the 24-hour period was 21.4 mm (Saturday), 4.6 mm (Friday), and 12.5 mm (Thursday). This clearly shows that the soil was not oversaturated with rain water due to the rains on the previous days.
