Wayanad Landslide: Did Kerala govt not respond to IMD's orange alert? Met Dept says 'don't wait for us'

Amid a havoc situation Kerala due to the massive landslides in Wayanad, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday noted that states should take action when an Orange alert is issued and 'should not wait' for it to issue a red alert.

The IMD, in a media briefing, hinted that quicker relief measures could have been taken in landslides-hit Wayanad as alerts were already issued.

"Orange warning in Kerala was issued on July 29, and a red alert was issued on July 30," the Met department said while adding, "We should take action when an orange colour alert issued, don't wait for us to issue a red alert to take action."


The disaster in the southern state of India has claimed more than 200 lives and several hundreds are feared trapped since Tuesday.

Also Read: Rainfall would be more than 106% for the second part of monsoon across India, says IMD

With increased effort, the Indian Army has successfully evacuated a number of people from the affected areas to safety. Overnight, members of the Army's Madras Sappers built a makeshift 100-foot bridge and let people cross it. This will help expedite the evacuation of stranded individuals and support rescue efforts even more.

HM Shah claims Kerala govt heeded warnings

On the same lines as IMD, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday had claimed that the Centre had sent multiple advance warnings to the Kerala government about possible floods and landslides in the state, starting as early as July 23, and nine NDRF teams were rushed to the state the same day.

In response to motions in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha drawing attention to the Wayanad situation, Shah stated that many lives might have been spared if the Kerala government had listened to early warnings or been informed as a result of NDRF teams arriving in the state.

"I do not want to accuse anyone of anything. This is the time to stand firm with the people and the government of Kerala. I wish to assure the House that irrespective of party politics, the Narendra Modi government will stand like a rock with the people and the government of Kerala. There should be no doubt about it," he said.

Shah made these comments in response to opposition members in both Houses emphasising the importance of early warning systems for natural disasters.