Kerala floods: Heavy rains wreak havoc in state; red alert issued in 4 districts

Thiruvanathpuram, Aug 08: The state of Kerala has been witnessing heavy showers in many pockets with residents facing trouble in view of these rainfall activities for the past couple of days.

A Red alert has been issued in four districts - Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad - following heavy spells of rain, gusty winds and landslides across the state.

The second spell of the south-west monsoon intensified, resulting in such deluge.

The Chief Minister's office has asked district collectors to evacuate people from danger-prone areas. A holiday has also been declared for all educational institutions in most of the northern districts including Kannur, Wayand and Malappuram, authorities said.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired an emergency meeting to evaluate the situation in the state.

"We have requested more NDRF teams to be sent to the state. Already two teams have been sent to Nilambur and Idukki," a CMO release said.

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— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 8, 2019

Meanwhile, Water levels in most of the rivers and dams across the state have risen flooding nearby areas. Major rivers like Manimala, Meenachal, Moovattupuzha, Chaliyar, Valapattanam, Iruvazjinjpuzha and Pamba are have risen.

In Wayanad, which had witnessed heavy loss in the August floods last year, 16 relief camps have been opened and over 2,300 people have been shifted. A landslide was reported from Chappamala at Iritty taluk in Kannur district.

Munnar, a high range tourist destination in Idukki district which bore the brunt during the 2018 floods, has been receiving heavy downpour with the IMD recording 19.4 cms of rain as per the latest report.

Landslides were also reported from across the district with most of the major roads getting blocked. Marayur, the sandalwood forest reserve, has also been impacted.

As per Skymet weather, heavy rains are expected to continue till Aug 10 over the state of Kerala with many parts likely to witness three digit rains as well.