On what is said to be a crucial day as far as the rescue operations in the flood-hit state of Kerala is concerned, Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan in his press meet on Friday morning said that the situation is alarming in the four districts of Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Thrissur and Ernakulam.
But the state government is taking up measures for a mass evacuation process with the help of additional helicopters and boats. The CM said that attempts will be made to rescue everyone by Friday.
Speaking about the death toll in the state Pinarayi Vijayan said, “As per the statistics till today (Friday) 2,23,000 people are being housed in 1568 relief camps across the state and as many as 164 people have died since August 9.”
Two helicopters each have been deployed in Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha for rescue operations. He also went on to say that there are 11 other IAF helicopters that are standby and will be sent to the most affected areas.
“Areas in Thrissur, Chalakudy, Aluva, Chengannur are in need of more boats,” said Pinarayi Vijayan. He also added that 150 new boats have arrived in the state on Friday morning.
“In Chengannur and Chalakudy, it is difficult to conduct rescue operations using a boat, so helicopters will be used in rescue operations,” said Pinarayi Vijayan.
More than 40 teams of the Navy have been deployed in various areas across the state.
13 Navy teams have been deployed in Thrissur, 10 teams in Wayanad, 4 teams in Chengannur, 12 teams in Aluva, 3 teams in Pathanamthitta.
The CM also said that apart from the helicopters of the Air Force, 3 helicopters of the Navy will also be used for the rescue operations.
At the moment, the CM has confirmed that 39 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are working across the state. He also added that 14 more NDRF teams will be joining soon.
“More than 4,000 people have been rescued by the NDRF alone,” said Pinarayi Vijayan.
Pinarayi Vijayan has said that water levels in Periyar and Chalakudy have not yet decreased and that measures have been taken to supply food and water to the people, who are isolated.
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