Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday urged the Malayali community in Europe to reach out and support the Western European nations affected by flooding.
At his daily briefing on the COVID-19 situation in the State, Vijayan empathized with the nations that have been hit by floods. “I appeal to the Malayalis in European countries to reach out and offer their support,” said Vijayan.
He said the State was grateful for the 'invaluable' support they had offered when Kerala was ravaged by floods in 2018 and 2019 that claimed nearly 600 lives and caused widespread destruction.
Vijayan specifically mentioned the support of the Netherlands government in helping revive the State post-floods.
“The King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, and his wife Queen Maxima visited us and we are always grateful for that,” said Vijayan. The Dutch royalty was in Kerala in 2019 upon invitation during their first state visit to India.
As part of their tour, the royals had also visited New Delhi and Mumbai. In Kerala, the Dutch delegation had meetings to explore possibilities of cooperation in various sectors, including inland water management, flood prevention and agriculture.
According to agency reports, floods have wreaked havoc across western Europe. Countries such as Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have been hit. In the Netherlands, a national disaster has been declared in a province, as per agency reports.
