Building back resilient lives

Kerala Flood Response 2018

In July 2018, Kerala received heavier than usual rain leading to severe floods across the state and landslides in the mountainous districts of Idukki and Wayanad. In addition, out of 54 dams in Kerala, heavy rains caused 35 dams to release excess water, adding to the increased water levels.

Agricultural lands were destroyed, crops were submerged underwater, and huge economic losses were incurred by the farmers. The floods also resulted in an increase in food prices, making it difficult for the poor to secure even one meal a day. The impact on animal husbandry was equally severe.

CARE India responded to the destruction and loss caused by the flooding and landslides, in Idukki and Wayanad, promptly and in a concerted manner.

  Our Approach

CARE responded in 17 panchayats and 174 villages in Wayanad and Idukki were selected as the areas of intervention because they were amongst the worst-affected districts.

As per the organisation’s mission and humanitarian mandate, CARE India focussed on helping single women-headed households, households with pregnant and lactating mothers, persons with disabilities, sole survivors of families, and people from socially excluded tribes and Dalit communities.

Our Work

Relief phase

Rapid Assessment and Rapid Gender Assessment studies were conducted to identify the most marginalised communities who survived the floods in the most far-flung areas. The findings highlighted the immediate need for initiating relief kit distribution. The assessments also revealed that the needs of women and girls are different from those of their male counterparts.

We responded to the immediate needs of nutrition and shelter for all, as well as specific needs of pregnant and lactating women. The relief material included:

  • Shelter kit: tarpaulin, ropes, floor mats, bed sheets, blankets, and mosquito net
  • WASH kit: water purification tablets, jerry cans, towel, soap, baby napkins, bucket, sexual and reproductive health kits
  • Nutrition kit: Pista, Raisins, Almonds, Cashew
  • Dry ration kit: rice, sugar, tea, cherupayar, parupu, kadala, rava, vanpayar, atta, spices, green peas, kaduku, avil, vellam
  • Shelter toolkit: rope, handsaw, nails, roofing, shovel, hoe, machete, shears, tie wire, hammer, measuring tape
  • Delivery kit: cloth, blade, cord clamps/suture, gloves, bed sheet, soap

 

Recovery and rehabilitation phase

After completing the initial phase of distributing relief kits, the next stage involved recovery activities. With the support of our on-ground NGO partners, ESAF in Idukki and Shreyas in Wayanad, activities like shelter repair, well cleaning and repair, awareness building meetings on WASH, and community centre repairs were undertaken.

Capacity building and awareness generation were also an integral part of the overall project plan. Accordingly, 60 women were trained in well and pond repairs.

Cash for work, equivalent to 15 human days of work, was provided to 611 people. They were gainfully engaged in activities like cleaning wells and debris, strengthening bunds and repairing community centres. Unconditional cash transfer/dry ration kits were also given to 240 of the most vulnerable, such as the elderly, persons with disability, persons with illness, and women-headed households.

The final phase of the project focussed on helping the project participants to resume normalcy in their lives by:

  • Providing cash for work support, equivalent to seven human days of work, to 657 persons for cleaning farms and strengthening bunds
  • Restoring 34 acres of paddy fields, 91 acres of land cultivating spices and 150 acres of banana and vegetable fields

Building resilience in the communities was an important mandate. Repairs to 171 partially damaged individual shelters, along with strengthening of community centres were some of the disaster resilience features adopted. Community based early warning systems have also been developed in 10 villages. This will enable these villages and those in the vicinity to receive warning messages in advance and improve response capacities for potential disasters like landslides and floods.

Our Innovations

 
 
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Our Achievements

  • 01
    120,629

    Flood survivors reached in Idukki and Wayanad districts of Kerala

  • 02
    21,675

    Banana saplings distributed for farmland revival

  • 03
    150

    Small and medium enterprise owners were given business restorations support

  • 04
    6,736

    People benefitted from payments provided against repairing Anganwadi centres and schools

  • 05
    17,497

    Project participants were provided training and employment through livelihood interventions

Connect with Us

Corporate and Registered Office

Module No. 411, 4th Floor, NSIC-MDBP Building
Okhla Industrial Estate, New Delhi – 110020 (INDIA)