Incessant rain pounds Kerala; high alert across the state
Incessant heavy rainfall across Kerala since the night of July 4 has affected normal life as roads are flooded, and has even led to a red alert been issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for Idukki district.
As the heavy rains continued on Wednesday (July 5), orange alerts were sounded in the remaining districts of the state for the day, except in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram.
A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rains of 6 cm to 20 cm of rain.
Meanwhile, water levels have risen in rivers and dams, homes have been damaged by uprooted trees and a furious sea has displaced many in the coastal areas. According to the latest IMD forecast, the intensity of the rains is likely to reduce in the next few days.
Despite that, it has issued orange alerts in six districts of the state for Thursday.
The heavy rainfall during the day uprooted huge trees in several parts of the state, leading to houses and vehicles being damaged, power lines being brought down and traffic movement being blocked for hours due to the fallen trees.
More than 130-year-old church destroyed
An over 130-year-old CSI church in Pathanamthitta district was destroyed in the heavy rainfall and in certain areas of Thrissur district, a sudden storm brought down huge trees and power lines.
In Kannur, a 20-metre section of the perimeter wall at the back of the central jail there collapsed early this morning due to the heavy rains, the district administration said. Hearing about the incident, top officials of the prison and the district administration inspected the site.
Also read: Heavy rains expected to lash Kerala this week, red alert issued for Idukki, Kannur
Several houses were also damaged in the district, displacing many families and injuring two persons, the Kannur district administration said.
Relief camps
Relief camps have been opened in various districts of the state to rehabilitate persons and families temporarily displaced from their homes due to the heavy rainfall and resultant flooding.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a Facebook post, said that presently a total of 47 camps are functioning in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Malappuram and Kasaragod districts and 879 persons have been shifted there.
The CM also said that as the heavy rainfall continue, there are possibilities of flash floods, landslides and waterlogging in low lying areas and therefore, the public and the government agencies should be vigilant and cautious.
Residents of Ernakulam in distress
In Ernakulam’s coastal Chellanam area, residents were in considerable distress as the bad weather led to the stormy seas washing over the tetrapods on the beach and breaching the geobags, set up as a wall, to flow into their homes.
“Our homes are damaged and filled with salty water. We have lost everything. Kids have to go to school, but how will they?” a woman resident of the area told TV channels.
Another resident said that the geobags proved ineffective in stopping the seawater from getting through.
In other parts of the state, rivers overflowed due to the rainfall, leading to an increase of the water level in various dams which opened their shutters since morning to release the excess water downstream.
Also read: Heavy rain lashes Kerala; travel advisory, red alert issued
Water released from dams in Idukki
In Idukki, a few shutters of the Kallarkutty and Pambla dams were opened from 12.30 AM onwards to release 300 cumecs and 500 cumecs of water, respectively, after the water in the two dams reached red alert levels.
The district administration advised those living on the shores of the Periyar and Muthirapuzha rivers to be cautious and be ready to relocate to relief camps in case of water entering their homes.
All shutters of the Kavanakkallu Regulator-cum-Bridge (RCB) across the river Chaliyar in Malappuram district were also opened in the morning.
Shutters of Karikkayam and Ullunkal dams across river Kakkad and Maniyar dam on the Kakkattar river in Pathanamthitta district were also opened this morning to release several hundred cumecs of water.
The rising water levels in the rivers also turned small roads and streets in some parts of the state into waterways with people resorting to the use of boats to move to relief camps.
Government advisory
In the wake of the continuous rains in the state since Tuesday, state health minister Veena George held an online meeting to review the situation, a government release said.
She advised the general public to avoid going near water bodies, for any reason including fishing, even after the rain subsides and directed that rescue operations be coordinated at the panchayat level.
She also issued directions with regard to medical aid, electricity supply, food and other essential amenities to be provided in the relief camps. As heavy rains lashed the state on Monday, leading to the death of a girl, Kerala CM advised people to be vigilant and avoid getting close to rivers, or travel to hilly areas or to the beach.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) issued a warning to fishermen not to go fishing and keep their vessels safely moored in harbours as there was a possibility of high waves and stormy seas along the Kerala coast due to the bad weather.
The heavy rains also led to closure of schools – especially those designated as relief camps – as well as colleges and educational institutions in various districts on Wednesday.
Loss of life
The heavy rainfall since Tuesday night led to the loss of a life when an autorickshaw overturned into a stream swollen with rainwater in Pathanamthitta district and the victim could not escape from underneath the vehicle.
Another person, a 68-year-old man, was swept away in an overflowing river in Thamarassery taluk of Kozhikode district on Tuesday. The fire force and other rescue personnel are yet to find him.
(With inputs from agencies)
