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Kerala is recovering from a major flood, exactly a year after being hit by another one. Last year’s floods were described as a once-in-a-century calamity, this one was an ecological disaster waiting to happen. Along with extremely heavy rain, an analysis of the floods shows that the huge number of deaths in the floods could be linked to the rampant destruction of the Western Ghats, the biodiversity hotspot that covers about half of Kerala. Experts warn that if the destruction goes on unchecked, future floods could bring even bigger disasters in India’s monsoon gateway.