Thiruvananthapuram, Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday alleged that serious lapses on the part of the State government in maintaining water level at dams resulted in the devastating flood.
“The present flood situation is man-made. The Dam shutters were opened without taking necessary preparations,” Mr Chennithala alleged at a press conference here.
Pointing out that releasing water from Idukki reservoir would be possible only after getting instructions from the state government, Mr Chennithala said that the government ignored the heavy rainfall warnings issued by the met department, even after the water level approaches its maximum storage capacity.
Lack of coordination between Electricity and Water resources departments and the greedy approach of the State Electricity Board eyeing monetary gains by maintaining high storage level had resulted in sudden opening of the dam shutters without evacuating people from the banks of rivers, Mr Chennithala alleged.
