Viju B. is metro editor of the Times of India, Kochi. He reports chiefly on issues at the intersection of development, ecology and culture. While working in Mumbai for various national newspapers, he covered the catastrophic 26/7 Mumbai floods, the 26/11 terror attacks and the Gujarat riots. He exposed the Sindhudurg mining scam in the Western Ghats and was part of the core investigative team that exposed the Adarsh Building scam in Mumbai that eventually led to the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. In 2018, he extensively covered the Kerala floods, travelling to the worst-hit areas in the state.
WINNER, LEELA MENON LITERARY AWARD (NON-FICTION)
SHORTLISTED FOR THE TATA LITERATURE LIVE! FIRST BOOK AWARD 2020 - NON FICTION
The floods that devastated large parts of Kerala in 2018 were not an isolated, freak phenomenon; rather, they signalled something graver-the ecological devastation of the Western Ghats.
Made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, the Ghats have become increasingly vulnerable to serious ecological damage, threatening the sustenance of their people. The 2018 floods were a wake-up call for the region spanning 1600 kilometres and six states-Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat-that form an ecosystem older than the Himalayas.
Travelling in this region, documenting the devastating large-scale mining, quarrying, deforestation and mismanagement of water resources, at the same time mapping its culture, history and ecology, Viju B. investigates the crisis in the Western Ghats and suggests policy measures urgently required to mitigate it.
The book is a strong indictment of how short-sighted governments, businesses, and ordinary humans, have combined to undermine the ecological importance of the Western Ghats. The book is a cautionary tale, alerting us to the fallouts of our own decisions that have endangered both humans and the environment.
Flood and Fury's message is a vital one that humanity needs to square up to in times of climate change.Rich with data and anecdotes, Flood and Fury, asks crucial and relevant questions about the way we mistreat our pristine forests and rivers.The book gives a comprehensive picture of Kerala's environmental degradation in the context of 2018's floods.
Flood and Fury is an excellent analysis of the crisis and also a prescription for the survival of this biodiversity-rich ecosystem.A prophetic ecological work undertaken after studying micro-histories , cultures and environment of western ghats region.A phenomenal work, which looks back into one of the unique historical events of modern Kerala history with subtle insights, socio-political understanding and environmental wisdom.A book that needs to be read by everyone who want to get a real picture of the ecological devastation that is occurring in the Western Ghats region.The book has the seriousness of an academic work and yet written in a simple and beautiful language - a social and ecological documentary of micro-communities living in the Western Ghats region. It is very informative, especially for people who want to have a deeper insight on environment.Flood and Fury has become prophetic, for Viju had predicted that Wayanad would face the brunt of climate changePowerful, often amusing, always tragic exploration of how we mistreated the forests and rivers of the Ghats from Kerala to Coorg, resulting in unprecedented, so-called natural calamities that are in fact human made.
