A day after landslides devastated two villages in Kerala's Wayanad district, the death toll had risen to at least 158 by Wednesday. On the same day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the Kerala government was warned about a potential natural disaster in Wayanad due to heavy rains as early as July 23. Additionally, nine teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were dispatched to the state on the same day. Despite these warnings and the arrival of the NDRF teams, Shah claimed that the Kerala government did not take adequate action.
In a statement to the Rajya Sabha, Shah assured the House that the Narendra Modi government was fully committed to supporting the Kerala government and its people during this crisis. He promised all necessary assistance from the central government. Shah also criticized the opposition for questioning the central government's early warning systems and its response to the disaster.
He emphasized that an early warning was issued to the state seven days before the landslide on July 30, with another warning provided on July 24. Shah noted that nine NDRF teams were sent on July 23, with three additional teams arriving on July 30. He highlighted that other states, such as Odisha and Gujarat, had successfully used early warnings from the Centre to mitigate the impact of natural disasters like cyclones. Shah suggested that if the Kerala government had acted promptly upon receiving the warnings and NDRF assistance, the damage could have been less severe.