People are airlifted by the Indian Navy soldiers during a rescue operation at a flooded area in Kerala. (Reuters photo)
With Kerala battling floods unleashed by heavy rain — 165 people have lost their lives since August 8 — the ground zero of the deluge, Idukki district in the Western Ghats, remains the most affected. With a series of landslides adding to the destruction, officials and residents said Idukki has been “cut off from the outside world” since Wednesday.
A ham radio set up at the district headquarters is the primary official mode of communication to send data on water levels to the state headquarters and disaster management experts, officials said. Road and communication networks have “fully collapsed”, they said. “We are running out of provisions and medicines. Many people need to be urgently shifted out of the district for medical treatment. Many areas remain inaccessible, and around 100 houses have been washed away or damaged in landslides,” said a senior government official Friday.
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People wait for aid on the roof of their house at a flooded area in Kerala. (Reuters)
“We are unable to move beyond a…
