-The Indian Express Kerala floods: The labour department accommodated stranded migrants in relief camps in many parts of Kerala along with local residents. As local residents are shifting back to their houses and camps are being shut, some migrant workers are leaving for their home states. Kochi (Kerala): Scores of migrant workers from the north and northeastern India have left Kerala since the devastating floods. Two special trains have ferried migrants to...

-The Times of India THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (Kerala): Of late, stories about social media have been not very encouraging, as it was increasingly turning out to be a platform spewing venom. But, during last week’s flood, it turned out to be a lifesaver for hundreds - literally. A group of social media enthusiasts, who have already been connected through Facebook harnessed the immense potential of the platform. An active volunteer group of 6,000 was...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government on Wednesday cited a 2004 UPA decision on foreign assistance to turn down offers of Kerala flood aid from various countries although the National Disaster Management Plan 2016 allows the Centre to accept such help. The move triggered allegations of "policy confusion" from the CPM that heads the state government. Breaking its silence on such offers after Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced on Tuesday...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Kerala did not have inundation maps or emergency action plans when waterworks engineers, responding to rising water levels, released the shutters of dams last week, but other states may be similarly vulnerable, a 2017 government audit report suggests. In the absence of detailed inundation maps or action plans, district authorities can warn local communities about an impending rise in water levels but without a clear idea of how...

-TheCitizen.in Dam failure a real fear The current floods in Kerala are unprecedented and clearly a national disaster. In the midst of this disaster, there is fear for the structural safety of the Mullaperiyar dam on the Periyar river. Madras Engineers Colonel John Pennycuick commenced construction of this 173-ft high dam in 1887, and it was commissioned in 1895. This gravity dam was considered an engineering marvel of those times. With the dam’s...