Shah says Kerala was forewarned about landslides; Vijayan refutes

A war of words has broken out between the Central and state governments over the devastating landslides in Kerala that have claimed at least 167 lives and left over 200 injured. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, claimed that the central government had issued multiple “advance warnings” to Kerala about possible floods and landslides, but these warnings were ignored.

Shah stated that warnings were given on July 23, 24, and 25, with a specific alert on July 26 about the possibility of heavy rainfall exceeding 20 centimetres, potential landslides, and the risk of casualties. “If the state government had been alert to the arrival of the NDRF teams, a lot could have been saved,” Shah asserted. He added that nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were dispatched to Kerala on July 23, with three additional battalions sent on July 30.