Floods, Archives and Memories

The ‘Flood Archives and Memories’ project seeks to research the 2018 August Floods in Keralam through the analysis of the memories of the people who had experienced it. By archiving and sharing the experience of the flood survivors and rescuers, the project aims to build ‘conversational narratives’ around flood memories supplemented by archival research. The project was formally inaugurated by the Honourable Minister for Higher Education, Dr. K.T. Jaleel on 6th August 2019. The KCHR Research team has been engaged in archival research, pilot surveys and interviews and collaborative efforts with research and academic institutions.  

The files related to the great flood of 1924, six newspapers having the reports on the disaster, various governmental and non-governmental reports, and maps, come under the section of historical data. The data classified under ‘memories’ includes interviews of the affected people and rescuers, and their in-depth analysis.  

In addition, newspapers dated to 1924, archived at the Malayala Manorama office in Kottayam, have also been collected. The flood of 1924 and 2018 has been mentioned in the literature and other research works. Such literary works have also been collected and analysed. The newspaper reports were classified into various subheadings and scanned for archiving them at a later stage. Data from more than twenty governmental and non-governmental organizations has been collected for research review and critical evaluation. Alongside,  maps and photographs have also been collected, which shows the depth of the disaster from the points of view of various people and agencies.  

The files from the State Archives department were analysed and presented as a working paper on 25th November 2020. A total of 80 interviews were conducted to record the memories of the people regarding the disaster. A pilot survey was also carried out in Aranmula, a place rich in cultural heritage where sixteen people from various walks of life were interviewed. The rest of the interviews were held in five different districts which were badly affected. A detailed analysis of this is currently underway for in-depth analysis.

 For more information: Project Proposal  

Selected Flood Memories

1. Flood -2018 , S. Saradhammal TSP Namboodiri