Incessant rains cripple Kerala; red alert issued in Kottayam, Ernakulam

Thiruvananthapuram, May 28 (PTI) After a brief lull, incessant rains accompanied by gusty winds pounded several parts of Kerala on Tuesday, disrupting normal life.

South and central districts like Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, and Ernakulam mainly bore the brunt of the continuous downpour, which caused waterlogging, damage to houses, trees to be uprooted and tiny water bodies to overflow cutting across towns and villages.

With the rain getting intense, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) placed Kottayam and Ernakulam districts under red alert today.

An orange alert was sounded in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, and Idukki, while Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode were placed under a yellow alert, as per the latest IMD update.

Experts said cloudburst could be the reason for the heavier rainfall that pounded various parts of the port city of Kochi, especially the Kalamassery region, where flood water entered hundreds of houses.

Many narrow lanes and busy roads in Kochi and adjacent areas were submerged due to continuous downpours since early morning.

People could not venture out of their homes in many areas of the port city as roads were flooded. Vehicles were seen moving at snail's pace on highways following the rain.

Normal life was hit in the Kakkanad-Infopark and Aluva-Edappally areas due to waterlogging.

An uprooted tree fell on a state-run KSRTC bus at Thoppumpady in Kochi. Luckily, passengers escaped unhurt.

Four shutters of Malankara Dam in Idukki district were raised following heavy rains, district authorities said.

Intense rains caused mudslides and disrupted traffic on Erattupetta and Vagamon road in Kottayam district.

The city and rural areas of the capital district of Thiruvananthapuram have witnessed heavy rains since Monday night.

In nearby Neyyattinkara, a house was severely damaged after an uprooted tree fell on it during heavy rains accompanied by winds.

Nedumangadu, Neyyattinkara, Kattakkada, and Amboori areas, located in the high ranges of the district, received widespread rainfall.

According to locals, a portion of a hill behind the famous Bali mandapam at Papanasam in nearby Varkala caved in because of heavy rains.

The eco-tourism centre in hill station Ponmudi was closed following bad weather.

With heavy rains continuing to lash rural areas of Thiruvananthapuram, the shutters of the Aruvikkara dam here have been raised up to 90 cm, district authorities said.

As the shutters would be raised up to 150 cm in the wake of the intense downpour, people living nearby are advised to remain vigilant.

High tides and rough seas were witnessed in coastal areas, posing a threat to fishing vessels.

Two incidents of boat capsizing were also reported off the coasts of Muthalapozhi fishing hamlet, located about 30 kilometres away from here.

In one incident, a fisherman died after his boat overturned due to high tidal waves this morning.

Three others, who also fell into the sea, were rescued and rushed to a nearby hospital, police said.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan said central Kerala region witnessed heavier rainfall, and the Palluruthi region in Ernakulam district alone received 95 mm rainfall in one and a half hours, which was rare in recent times.

Kalamassery received 57 mm rainfall in one and a half hours, he pointed out.

Steps have been taken to open 3,597 relief camps in the southern state, in view of the situation arising out of rains, he said.

Preparations are underway to set up camps that can accommodate over five lakh people during emergencies.

A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm. PTI