Kerala floods: UAE, Qatar announce relief aid and encourage its citizens to make donations for state

Gulf countries such as UAE and Qatar are encouraging its citizens to make donations and other relief measures for the state of Kerala which has been seeing a large-scale devastation and mounting death toll, triggered by heavy rainfall and floods.The ruler of UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tweeted on Sunday urging his people to extend a helping hand to the people of Kerala which has been ravaged by floods and heavy rains. In a series of tweets in Malayalam and English, the ruler of Dubai acknowledged the role of the people of Kerala in his nation's success story and reminded citizens that even as the gulf nations welcome Eid Al Adha, it is the responsibility of citizens in this time to provide humanitarian aid to those affected in Kerala.UAE president Khalifa bin Zayed Ali Nahyan has announced the formation of a national emergency committee called the Emirate Red Crescent (ERC) to provide aid to the state of Kerala. The UAE government has asked the business community to gather funds and donate to Kerala and has encouraged to provide relief assistance through full-page advertisements in leading newspapers and media publications. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet thanked the UAE ruler for his support for the people of Kerala and added how the concern reflects the special ties between the governments and people of UAE and India.Indian businesses based in UAE have collected $2.7 million as part of the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Kerala flood victims, reported Al Arabiya English.UAE is not the only country which has called for relief assistance from its citizens. Qatar has announced to donate $5 million as an aid for people of Kerala battling heavy rains and floods in the state. The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted on Sunday announcing its plan to provide the monetary aid.Qatar Airways on Sunday tweeted a photograph depicting an aeroplane being loaded with donations from the country to be delivered to Kerala in India. Kerala has witnessed the worst floods since a hundred years. According to reports, the death toll has crossed 350 since the 8 August and more than 4,000 people have been rescued due to the combined efforts of disaster management authorities and the defence forces.