IMD FORECAST INCLUDED LANDSLIDE POSSIBILITY, ASSERTS MINISTER

In its impact-based forecast issued on July 29 too, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) included the possibility of "landslide and localised inundation and damage to vulnerable structures", Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said on Friday.

Rai provided additional facts to both Houses of the Parliament on the landslide incident in the Wayanad district of Kerala considering the discussion held during the Calling Attention Motion in Lok Sabha on July 31.

All these additional facts have also been uploaded on the MPs portal with fact copies of IMD's early alerts issued from July 23 to July 29 (7-day forecast).

During the discussions held in the Rajya Sabha on July 31 on a Calling Attention Motion on the Wayanad Landslide incident raised by Congress leader KC Venugopal, it was inter-alia stated by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah that since July 23, 2024, IMD has been giving warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Kerala in its 7-day forecast.

He had mentioned that such heavy rainfall, in hilly areas like Wayanad, could also lead to other rainfall-induced disasters, such as landslides.

Therefore, Shah pointed out, the state government should have taken adequate preparedness measures, which include relocation of people to safe places. The Home Minister had also clarified that wherever state governments, such as Odisha and Gujarat, during cyclone warnings on IMD forecasts, have taken adequate preparedness measures, and causalities have been brought down to even zero.

Further, while the IMD forecast is sent to state governments, the Minister had said "It is available in the public domain."