On Thursday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinari Vijayan heavily criticised those spreading fake news about the ongoing floods on social media. The state is facing its worst floods in over a century—over 2,23,000 have been displaced, and approximately 324 are dead.
“I wish to inform all that the state government will now take very strict (punitive) action against such people,” said Vijayan.
Abstain from spreading misinformation on whatsapp & social media networks. Many rumours & fake news are surfacing. Listen for official announcements. Follow the CMO handles in Twitter & FB; FB pages of Ministers, District Collectors, Kerala Police & Fire force. #KeralaFloods2018
— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) August 16, 2018
Speaking to the media, Idukki District Collector Jeevan Babu, clarified that a lot of fake news surrounding the fate of the ancient Mullaperiyar Dam have surfaced on social media.
“All the news about the safety of the dam is absolutely baseless and unfounded, and I wish to state that there are no such issues at all. The state government has now decided to take action against all those who spread fake news,” Mr Babu told the media.
Alert: People in the low lying areas along Chalakudy river and its tributaries are requested to move to higher locations as a precautionary measure. All stranded people are being attended by the forces in maximum capacity. #KeralaFloods2018 pic.twitter.com/6QWiTj2Guc
— CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) August 16, 2018
Meanwhile, a Kozhikode-based start-up has joined hands with the city traffic police to help fight the spread of fake news through their social networking app, QKopy.
Many roads in the city have been submerged, and the traffic police is using the app to generate awareness, issue directions on which route to use and offer regular updates.
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“The app, available for both the iPhone and the Google operating systems, works based on the telephone number of the user. However, it is currently designed as a one-way communication system which would help an entity or a person to broadcast to any number of people who have saved the particular mobile number to their phone, through the app,” reports Business Standard.
Meanwhile, you can go on Twitter and track the official government handles given below:
National Disaster Response Force (@NDRFHQ)
Indian Navy (@indiannavy)
Press Information Bureau (@PIB_India)
Chief Minister of Kerala (@CMOKerala)
Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard)
These are trusted sources, and you can receive the latest news and updates from them.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)