1,200 rescuers, doctors, 100 ambulances were rushed to Kerala: Centre

The Centre on Saturday listed rescue and relief efforts in Wayanad in the wake of the July 30 landslides, saying the home ministry deployed more than 1,200 rescuers of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), army, air force, navy, fire services and civil defence, among others. More than 100 ambulances along with doctors and other medical staff were deployed, said officials.

"The Indian Army erected a 190-foot Bailey bridge in Wayanad which has been crucial in facilitating the movement of heavy machinery and ambulances," said one of the officials, who did not wish to be identified.

Till Saturday, 30 persons had been rescued, 520 persons evacuated and 112 bodies retrieved by the NDRF rescue teams. An inter-ministerial team constituted by the Centre visited the affected areas of the state for three days from Thursday.


"This year, on April 1, Kerala State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) had around ₹395 crore. The first instalment of the central share of SDRF for the ongoing year of ₹145.60 crore was released in advance on July 31."

In response to an earlier question on declaring a calamity as 'national disaster', then minister of state for home affairs Mullapally Ramachandran had told the Lok Sabha, "With regard to declaring a calamity of severe nature as national disaster, it is informed that there is no provision to declare a natural disaster as a 'national disaster' in the guidelines.

However, Government of India adjudges a disaster to be of 'severe nature' on a case-to-case basis taking into account, inter-alia, the intensity and magnitude of the disaster, level of relief assistance, capacity of the state government to tackle the problem, the alternatives and flexibility available within the plan to provide succour and relief, etc. The priority is immediate relief and response assistance in the context of a natural calamity.