India¡¯s densely populated southern state of Kerala receives one of the highest levels of rainfall in the country.
In 2018, Kerala experienced the most devastating floods in a century. Some 5.4 million people, or one-sixth of the state's population, was affected, with extensive loss of life, property, and habitats, especially in the state's rice bowl, the Pamba river basin. Losses amounted to $3.74 billion (INR 267.20 billion).
The floods proved to be a wake-up call, leading the state to rethink its development paradigm altogether and build a resilient New Kerala.
Since 2018, the World Bank's first-of-its-kind partnership with Kerala has helped the state examine the root causes of risk and strengthen its capacity to respond to disasters, climate change, disease outbreaks, and pandemics.
¡°Our whole development trajectory has been influenced positively by the engagement,¡° said Dr. Venu Vasudevan, then the Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala.