The State government will adopt a ‘Build Back Better’ mode for the recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the flood-hit areas.
The process would see integrating disaster risk reduction into development measures making communities resilient to disasters, the government said in an affidavit submitted before the Kerala High Court.
The affidavit said that a comprehensive approach would be adopted to convert adversities into opportunities. A system for providing psycho-social support and trauma counselling has to be developed for the implementation during the reconstruction and recovery phase. The rehabilitation package would include total reconstruction of the damaged physical infrastructure and the socio-economic rehabilitation of people in affected areas, said the affidavit, which was filed in response to a writ petition that came up for the consideration of the court.
As the massive rehabilitation package involves efforts and financial commitments beyond the resources of the State, the possibility of seeking Central and international assistance would be explored.
A comprehensive plan would be prepared in consultation with experts and stakeholders for the rehabilitation and reconstruction activities and for dealing with environmental issues. The plan would include waste disposal and cleaning operations involving removal of debris, it said.
After the preliminary assessment, the State has pegged the flood-related losses at ₹19,512.57 crore. The calamity left 445 persons dead and 140 others seriously injured. The floods affected 55 lakh people and 775 villages. It also estimated that 10,000 km of PWD roads, thousands of kilometres of village roads and hundreds of bridges were badly damaged, the affidavit said.
The government submitted that during the post-flood days, 2,646.7 tonnes of non-biodegradable waste was collected and disposed of. The squads also cremated 13,858 animal and 3,26,160 avian carcasses, it said.
Warnings regarding the possibility of heavy rain and consequent landslips and floods were issued and publicised by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority though its official website, Facebook page, WhatsApp groups and print and electronic media.
A specific advisory was issued on July 29 regarding precautions to be taken by the public for ensuring the individual safety and security at the time of opening of dams, it submitted.
The State government had taken all measures in the case of preparedness and response to meet the flood disaster in accordance with the National Disaster Management Plan and the Kerala Disaster Management Plan. All the preparedness measures were supported with allocation of responsibilities, budgetary provisions and guidelines covering both structural and non-structural measures for risk reduction in the State, it submitted.