Political storm brews over flood management in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala
Political tensions have escalated in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district following severe flooding, with opposition leaders accusing the government of mismanagement. Critics claim that dam shutters were opened without proper warning, leading to avoidable losses.
Why it matters
Disaster management accountability is essential for public safety and effective governance during climate-related crises.
As relief and rehabilitation efforts continue across flood-ravaged Pathanamthitta, the focus is rapidly shifting from rescue to accountability, with allegations of administrative lapses and poor disaster management dominating the political discourse.
The sharpest criticism came from CPI(M) Pathanamthitta district secretary Raju Abraham, who described the deluge as a `government-sponsored flood’. He accused the authorities of failing to issue timely red alerts and opening dam shutters without adequate public warning, and demanded compensation for all those who suffered losses.
“The authorities neither issued a proper red alert nor gave advance warning before opening the dam shutters. The lack of timely information from both the government and weather monitoring agencies caused widespread anxiety among the public and resulted in losses worth crores,” he alleged.
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