Even as residents of the districts of Idukki, Thrissur and Ernakulam remain anxious of possible flooding in the event of the shutters of the Idukki dam being released, the social media activities of a Kerala government agency have won appreciation.
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), which was constituted in 2007, has been issuing frequent updates on its Facebook page on the water levels at the Idukki dam since it started approaching the danger level in the past few days. In fact, since an orange alert was issued on Monday night, the KSDMA's social media team has been issuing minute-by-minute updates on Facebook.
These KSDMA updates have included coverage of the water level at the Idukki dam, status of other reservoirs in the state, common guidelines for safety and advisories against rumours. The KSDMA page has also been appreciated for responding to numerous queries from concerned citizens, ranging from the alarmist variety to the mundane.
Interestingly, despite the worries about the situation at the Idukki dam, the KSDMA page has seemingly also provided opportunities for mirth! After the Facebook page announced that an orange alert has been issued for the Idukki dam on Monday night, a user commented “God be our strength.”
In response, the KSDMA's social media team commented, “science, experience and planning is the collective strength of our state.” The response, which seemingly stresses rationalism over religiosity won significant praise, garnering over 3,000 likes and is, in fact, going viral.