Red alert issued after torrential rains wreak havoc in Kerala, two killed
Torrential rain accompanied by fierce winds and high tidal waves wreaked havoc and claimed two lives in Kerala, as it lashed the State since last night forcing the government to shift hundreds of families to relief camps,sources said on Saturday.
The southernmost district, Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod in the northern tip, witnessed widespread uprooting of trees, water-logging and disruption of power supply since last night. The Central Water Commission (CWC) issued flood warning to the state in the wake of rising water level in rivers like Manimala and Achankovil.
As the IMD sounded ‘red alert’, indicating the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall above 204 mm in 24 hours, in 9 districts, the entire state was put on high vigil. The ‘red alert’, in view of the severe deep depression over Arabian sea, was issued in Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur andKasaragod district. High range and coastal belts in the central and northern districts, where houses and roads were rampantly destroyed and trees got uprooted widely, were the worst affected in the rain fury. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the impact of cyclone Tauktae was expected to last the next 24 hours in the State. “As per the IMD figures, Kerala received an average rainfall of 145.5 mm in the last two days alone,” he told reporters here. Kochi and Peerumedu stations registered rainfall above 200 mm in the last 24 hours, he said.
“Two persons drowned in Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts.Stepping into water bodies and crossing rivers should be avoided during the times of heavy rains and winds,” he said. Meanwhile, to ensure the safety of people, night travel in high range Idukki district was completely banned from 7 pm by the district administration. The shutters of the Kallarkutty and Malankara dams in Idukki and Bhoothathankettu dam in Ernakulam were opened and that of the Maniyar in Pathanamthitta and Aruvikkara here were raised as a precautionary measure. Valiyathura pier, one of the oldest sea bridges in the state located here, developed a crack in the strong winds.
