A Central team headed by V.R. Sharma, Special Secretary to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, visited the flood-hit areas in Pathanamthitta district on Sunday to collect first-hand information on the extent of damage in the natural calamity.
The team comprising A.V. Dharma Reddy, Joint Secretary attached to the Union Home Ministry; Ali Manik Fann, senior research officer attached to the Union Ministry of Health, and Mr. Sharma had a detailed interaction with Minister for Water Resources Mathew T. Thomas, District Collector P.B. Noohu and district-level officials of various departments in Thiruvalla before visiting the flood-hit areas.
The Collector made a video presentation prior to the field visit, showing the sufferings of the district in the deluge.
The video also presented the details of rescue operations, the month-long flood relief works, cleaning drive, etc.
The Collector also handed over a report detailing the estimated loss suffered by various government agencies and departments in the floods.
According to Mr. Noohu, the loss to various government departments and agencies in the district has been estimated at ₹1,810 crore. Agriculture department: ₹66.03 crore, Animal Husbandry: ₹16.89 crore, Public Works Department (Roads): ₹446 crore, Irrigation: ₹50 crore, Kerala Water Authority: ₹70 crore, municipalities: ₹65.3 crore, panchayats: ₹159 crore, KSRTC: ₹1.65 crore, Fisheries: ₹3.94 crore, Minor Irrigation: ₹36.3 crore, Kerala State Electricity Board: ₹33 crore, and various other agencies: ₹781.59 crore.
He said 18 of the 53 grama panchayats were totally affected in the floods while 27 others were partially affected. As many as 51,868 houses, 2,944 offices, 821 public places and 36,352 wells in the district have been cleaned and sanitised, he said.
Landslips occurred in the hilly tracts of at Vayyattupuzha, Bimmaram, Meenkuzhy and 14 other places in the forest areas.
