The death toll in rain-related incidents in Kerala rose to 27 on October 17, with more bodies recovered landslide ravaged areas of Kottayam and Idukki districts.
in pictures | Heavy rains and landslides in southern Kerala
Although government agencies are yet to complete an assessment of the total damage, initial reports suggested that houses located within a two-kilometre radius on the banks of the Pulkayar river were destroyed and the water level rose by 15 feet.
There have also been reports of flash floods due to heavy rains and landslides. The tributaries of Pulkayar are Thalunkal, Yendyar and Kokkayar rivers. Hundreds of people from Kodunga, Ilamkadu and Kootikkal Chhappath have been shifted to relief camps opened at St. Mary’s School, Kootikkal and JJ Murphy School, Yenadayar.
Flood water has entered many houses In Thalavadi, Neerattupuram, Thakazhi, Muttar, Edathua, Veyapuram, and Pallipad in Upper Kuttanad. Water also entered the Chakkulathukavu Bhagavathy temple.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on October 17 and discussed the situation in the wake of heavy rains and landslides in the state. The death toll in devastating floods triggered by heavy rains and landslides in hilly areas of two districts of central Kerala rose to 18 as rescue workers recovered more bodies from the rubble on October 17.
Here are the latest updates:
Idukki | 11:20 am
Idukki dam water level rising fast
The water level in the Idukki dam is rising rapidly and the district administration has declared an orange alert.
Thiruvananthapuram | 11:05 am
Five more teams of NDRF deployed; IMD warns of fresh rain
Five more teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will be deployed in Idukki, Kottayam, Kannur, Palakkad and Kollam districts, the chief minister said on October 17. Presently, NDRF teams are stationed at Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki. Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram districts.
The government said that till October 17, 156 relief camps have been opened in the state. Across the state, 1,253 families (4,713 persons) have been shifted to various camps since October 11. This includes 321 families in Kottayam district and 219 in Idukki.
Thrissur | 11:03 am
Thrissur took steps against incessant rain
The low-lying areas of Thrissur district were inundated with water due to lack of rain. The shutters of all the dams in the districts have been opened and all the rivers are in spate. People were evacuated from rivers and high areas on Sunday.
Forty families were evacuated from the landslide-prone Puthur panchayat. While 11 families were shifted to the relief camp opened at St. John’s Academy, Vettukad, others were shifted to their relatives’ homes. Ten families were shifted from Kokkath Colony in Kainoor.
Thiruvananthapuram | 11:00 am
Flash floods, landslides in Kerala due to mini cloudburst incidents, claims expert
A scientist at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) claimed on October 17 that brief, intense rains in some areas of Kerala indicated small cloudbursts, a factor that caused casualties, damage and loss of properties.
Citing more than 5 cm of rain in two hours in the worst-affected areas of Idukki and Kottayam districts, S Abhilash of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, CUSAT said it was a “mesoscale mini-cloudburst type event”. -PTI
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