K.P. Jebi, a bus driver from Mundakayam, had been unemployed since the lockdown began. As the government opened up tourism, Jebi was hopeful of working and earning again.

But today he is one of the worst-affected victims of Kerala’s most recent deluge of rain and deadly landslides. His two-storey home toppled into the roaring flood waters and disappeared within seconds. Now there is no sign his house ever stood there.

Though the northeast monsoon has not yet started, in the first 18 days of October Kerala received 142% excess rain, according to the Indian Meteorological Department. Though the number of rainy days is less now, the intensity of the rain has increased. The incessant rains of October 16 caused landslides and floods in at least five districts.

But this is not the first time that Kerala is witnessing such intense rainfall. In 2018 Kerala experienced an abnormally heavy rainfall, resulting in a devastating flood, claiming nearly 500 lives, several livelihoods and properties. It became the flood of the century, as floods of such magnitude had not been recorded since 1924.

What Kerala witnessed is a mini cloud burst. It occurs when a region gets more than 2 cm of relentless rains in two hours. These clouds are formed because of the rising temperature in Arabian Sea. In the last century, Arabian Sea’s temperature has risen by more than 1 degree Celsius,” he said.

Since 2018, India witnessed 28 cyclonic storms, 11 of them originating in Arabian Sea.

“Repeated cyclonic storms with high intensity rain indicates the gravity of climate change, as Kerala witnesses now,” said K.K. Ramachandran, a consultant scientist with the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram.

According to a study conducted by the Geological Society of India, 43% of Kerala is prone to landslides and landslips. Many say the government hasn’t done enough.

“Despite environmentalists’ warnings, governments didn’t take appropriate actions. Disasters would be a regular occurrence. Entire livelihood system and development have to be reworked,” said V.S. Vijayan, environmentalist and former chairman of Kerala State Biodiversity Board. “It’s the government’s duty to relocate people in high-risk zones at any cost.”