The Wayanad district in Kerala has recently been hit by a huge landslide which killed hundreds of people.
And this is not the first time that “God’s Own Country” is, confronted by such a disastrous natural occurrence. Exactly ninety-nine years ago the state was destroyed even more completely when it had to withstand the Great Floods of 1924.
One article from The Hindu newspaper, dated on June 10th, 1924 reported that, “Travancore District also suffered heavily from floods. Several roads and five hundred acres of paddy fields are under water.”
According to records maintained by Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), in 1924 Kerala experienced its highest ever rainfall which amounted to about 3451.3 mm and it was only surpassed by an increase of 71%. This flood caused the loss of thousands of lives with almost half of the princely states at that time spread across Travancore Cochin as well as Malabar getting submerging into water masses. Many lost their homes and sources of income.
The flood wiped out Kundala Valley Railways, India’s first monorail system built by British in Old Munnar, in order to carry tea leaves and inhabitants.
Production & Research : Gayatri Menon
Archive photo courtesy: Vibha Sudarshan
Voiceover: Jude Weston
