Muvattupuzha MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan on Tuesday alleged that widespread corruption and mismanagement were the causes of the 2018 Kerala floods. Kuzhalnadan, in the presence of Prathap, a senior Janata Dal leader, released an audio clip, allegedly of K Krishnankutty, the Minister for Water Resources at the time, admitting to the same.

In the clip, a person, purportedly Krishnankutty, can be heard saying that the severe flooding in 2018 across three major regions in the state was caused by various instances of bribery.

“Why didn't they open the Thottapally spillway, which was supposed to be opened a month ago? The executive engineer had also requested that it be opened, but they said not to. It was because the sand below the dam, which was tendered by a private entity, would be swept away if it was opened,” Krishnankutty can be heard saying in the clip.

The Minister also cited a similar instance in Maniyar. He said that although the project belonged to the Irrigation department, the electricity generation was managed by a private company.

“In Maniyar, they let the water accumulate though such levels are not permitted. It was in the interest of the private company,” he said.

“They earned ₹8 crore by filling the water to such levels. When the dam was overloaded, they opened the sluice which is otherwise never opened. This is why so much mud was swept into the nearby regions,” he added.

In Parambikulam Dam, where 1400 cusecs of water can be released into Tamil Nadu, only 700 cusecs were released. He said the government had held back on releasing the water after accepting bribes from a contractor from the neighbouring state who would be affected by the water flow. He alleged that this was the cause of the water being held back in the Peringalkuthu dam that led to flooding along the Chalakkudy river.

Kuzhalnadan agreed with the remarks allegedly made by Krishnankutty, calling it ‘100% true’.  

“In dams, the bottom sluice is not usually opened. It is not supposed to be opened," he said. "It was for their personal interests involving bribes worth crores that they kept the dam closed. It was when the sluice opened at the end that the mud swept through the region,” he said.

“A disaster did not hit Kerala; it was created," Kuzhalnadan added. "It's true that heavy rains brought the water, but such large-scale damage was due to the bribery and corruption within the government,” he said.

However, Krishnankutty denied the allegations, calling the audio clip fake. He alleged that his voice was mimicked using AI tools.

“The move is motivated by the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Why else would Kuzhalnadan not raise the issue in the Assembly?” he asked the media, adding that he would pursue legal action against the MLA.

Onmanorama has not independently verified the authenticity of the call recording released by Kuzhalnadan.