Thiruvananthapuram: The state cabinet on Wednesday approved a comprehensive relief package for those affected by the recent heavy rains, enhancing financial assistance for victims, extending support to flood-hit families, farmers, shopkeepers and businesses, and unveiling long-term measures such as AI-based dam management and flood mapping.Chief minister V D Satheesan told reporters after the meeting that 26 people had lost their lives in the recent rain-related incidents, while 11 were injured and four missing. As many as 27,048 people are housed in 462 relief camps across the state. The highest number of relief camps is in Pathanamthitta (157), followed by Kottayam (154) and Alappuzha (81), while the remaining districts have fewer than 10 camps each.Meanwhile, flooding continued to disrupt normal life in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam despite the easing of rain. Upper Kuttanad and Kuttanad remained severely affected, with delays in removing accumulated waste from Thottappally Spillway worsening the situation. In Pathanamthitta, many houses in Kozhencherry and Thiruvalla remained submerged, while waterlogging, contaminated wells and drinking water shortages delayed the return of displaced families. In Kottayam, severe waterlogging persisted in the town and low-lying areas, disrupting traffic and daily life.The CM said govt will accord state honours to R Rajesh, a disaster rescue trainer from Kalliyoor in Thiruvananthapuram, who lost his life during rescue operations in Cherupuzha, Kannur. Govt will also complete the construction of his unfinished house.Satheesan said the families of those who died in floods would receive assistance of Rs 8 lakh through State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) and Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). An additional Rs 10,000 will be provided towards funeral expenses.The cabinet enhanced financial assistance for those who lost both their house and land from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh, and for those whose houses were destroyed from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. All households inundated by floodwaters will get Rs 10,000 as immediate relief based on the village officer’s report, irrespective of registration in relief camps. Families forced to shifted to rented accommodation will get rent assistance, while two members of every affected ration card-holding family will be paid Rs 300 each per day.Crop damage has been reported across 1,882 hectares, affecting 23,537 farmers, with preliminary losses estimated at Rs 67.44 crore. The cabinet decided to increase crop loss compensation by 25%. In a first, govt will provide Rs 10,000 as special assistance to shop owners who lost their livelihood.A revival soft loan scheme of up to Rs 12 lakh will be introduced for MSMEs, farmers and tourist vehicle owners. Under the scheme, govt will either provide margin money of up to Rs 3 lakh or 25% of the loan amount to banks, or offer a 9% interest subsidy for five years. Govt also decided to address complaints related to the rehabilitation scheme for fishermen and implement a revised scheme with enhanced assistance.On disaster preparedness, the CM announced that Kerala would implement an AI-based dam management system that would scientifically assess reservoir inflows, outflows and rainfall before opening dam shutters. Govt will also strengthen weather forecasting and flood mapping as part of a disaster resilience programme modelled on best practices adopted in states such as Odisha. Sand and silt accumulated in dams and rivers will be removed on a priority basis to reduce flood risk.As part of long-term flood mitigation, govt will prepare an asset register covering rivers, lakes and canals, conduct land audits to identify encroachments along riverbanks, and strengthen scientific flood mapping. Directives have also been issued to clear waste from Thottappally Spillway to improve water flow and operate shutters, including those at Thanneermukkom, to reduce flooding in Upper Kuttanad.
