Coastal high-tide flooding shall be declared state-specific disaster: Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Friday said that coastal high-tide flooding or sea incursions that cause damage shall be declared as a state-specific disaster and victims would be entitled to financial assistance from SDRF.

The Kerala government on Friday said that coastal high-tide flooding or sea incursions that cause damage shall be declared as a state-specific disaster and victims would be entitled to financial assistance from SDRF. The Disaster Management Department issued the order in which it said unlike rainfall-induced flooding, tidal flooding was ''a hazard that can occur throughout the year'', enhancing the relevance of declaring it as a state-specific disaster. ''The government have examined the matter in detail and are pleased to order that the damages to life, property, livelihoods, and infrastructure caused by waves intruding from the sea to the land beyond the High Tide Line (HTL), or by the flooding resulting therefrom shall be termed as coastal high-tide flooding or sea incursion and shall be declared as a state-specific disaster,'' the order said. ''Therefore the financial assistance, similar to that provided to natural disaster victims under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms shall also be granted to victims of coastal high-tide flooding or sea incursion,'' the government order said. The order also noted that along the Kerala coast, particularly in areas such as Vypin, Chellanam, Edakochi and Perumbadappu in the Kochi Corporation Division and Kumbalanghi Panchayat, recurrent tidal flooding caused by seawater ingress occurs frequently. ''This has been observed to cause extensive damage to residential areas and infrastructure. It is a serious natural phenomenon that directly affects the lives, livelihoods, and living conditions of fishermen, coastal agricultural sectors, coastal residents, and small traders,'' it said. Therefore, the 'coastal high-tide flooding or sea incursion' falls within the scope of the definition of 'disaster' under the Disaster Management Act in Kerala, it added. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement, said that the government's decision will bring relief to the tens of thousands of people living on the sea coast and on the backwaters who have to face the damage caused by the tides. The order comes a day after the state cabinet chaired by the CM took a decision on this.

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