Kerala Floods: Vijayan says UAE offered Rs 700 crore

Earlier this month, the Gulf nation had said that it would be forming a committee to access the situation in Kerala and grant financial aid.

The said committee will consist of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) and members of humanitarian organisations, local media reports said.

The floods, cause by incessant rains, have ravaged most parts of Kerala and have killed over 300 people. Moreover, it has forced nine lakhs people to live in makeshift shelters.

The state has incurred a loss of over Rs 100 billion.

However, Madhav Gadgil, ecologist and founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has said that the calamity could have been avoided, while stating that it is partially manmade.

In 2011, Gadgil and a team of experts had urged the then Kerala government to take necessary steps, while forewarning about a similar situation. However, the advice fell into deaf ears.

Kerala has also received financial assistance from the Government of Maldives, which announced that it will be donating $50,000 for flood relief.

The President’s Office said on Sunday that the donation is a ‘token contribution in solidarity with the people of India’.

“The Government of Maldives conveys profound sympathies to the Government and the people of India, in particular to those directly affected by the tragedy, as well as commiserations to the members of the bereaved families,” a statement from the President’s Office said.

“India is our closest neighbor. Any natural disaster or calamity that strikes our neighbor has an emotional impact on Maldives. This donation is a small gesture to a neighbor and friend who has always stood by Maldives in its hours of need,” said Ahmed Mohamed, ambassador of Maldives to India.

The Indian government has announced a package of Rs 5 billion to help out the state, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kerala and took stock of the situation.