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Kerala High Court Intervenes in Kuttanad Floods, Mandates Action Plans for Farm Bodies

ERNĀKULAM: Responding to a heartfelt plea from 200 hundred students and teachers of a flooded school, the Kerala High Court has issued a slew of directives aimed at providing immediate relief and formulating long-term solutions for the perennial issue of flooding in the Kuttanad region. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji , in a suo motu public interest litigation, underscored the statutory duty of local agricultural bodies to prepare annual action plans to prevent such calamities.

A Plea from a Submerged School

The case originated from a letter sent by students and teachers of the SNDP Higher Secondary School in Kainakary Grama Panchayat, Alappuzha. Their school was partially submerged in May 2025 after incessant monsoon rains caused an earthen embankment, or bund, to collapse—a phenomenon locally known as “Madaveezhcha”. The letter detailed how students were forced to attend classes in shifts on the upper floors amidst flooded homes and classrooms, with their studies severely disrupted. The High Court took cognizance of their plight and converted the letter into a suo motu writ petition.

Court's Multi-Pronged Approach

The judgment, delivered on September 11, 2025, addresses the problem on three levels: immediate remedial action for the school, enforcement of the existing statutory framework, and the creation of a long-term strategy.

An amicus curiae appointed by the court found the school still flooded in August, with two of the three dewatering pumps non-functional, highlighting the lack of effective local management.

Statutory Duties and Accountability

The court’s ruling brings into sharp focus the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Act, 2003 , and the Rules of 2005 , which regulate the region's unique below-sea-level farming practices. The bench highlighted that these laws establish Padasekharam Committees—collectives of farmers—and mandate them to prepare annual action plans for paddy cultivation, resource management, and maintenance of infrastructure like bunds.

The Court observed a critical lapse in this statutory duty:

"Respondent No.7 [Paruthivalavu Padasekhara Samithi] has no such annual plan, and it is not clear whether one has ever been prepared... Without an annual plan, which is a statutory mandate, any measures taken by the committees would be ad hoc."

The judgment clarified that the situation, aggravated by the bund breach, "cannot be attributed wholly to an act of nature" and that man-made factors likely contributed.

Directions for Immediate and Future Action

Based on its findings, the High Court issued the following key directions:

• Ad Hoc Committee: The committee of officials formed by the District Collector, Alappuzha, will continue to function to resolve the school's immediate issues and address similar emergencies in other educational institutions in the future.
• Inquiry and Accountability: The District Collector will conduct an inquiry into the bund collapse at Paruthivalavu, examine the role of the local Padasekhara Samithi, and take appropriate action under the 2003 Act.
• Mandatory Annual Plans: The Collector must ensure all Padasekharam Committees in the jurisdiction prepare and implement the statutorily required annual plans.
• Long-Term Expert Study: The Chief Engineer, Kuttanad Package and Inland Navigation , has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive study to find long-term solutions to prevent such incidents. A preliminary report is to be submitted to the State Government within four months.

The court disposed of the writ petition with these directions, emphasizing a shift from reactive, ad hoc measures to a proactive, plan-based approach to managing Kuttanad's fragile ecosystem. The bench also lauded the assistance of the amicus curiae in the matter.