Kerala rains: One shutter of Cheruthoni dam opened in Idukki

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 6: Due to heavy rainfall in Idukki district, the Kerala government opened one of the shutter of the district's Cheruthoni dam to release around 50 cusecs of water.

The Idukki district authorities on Friday had warned the people living near the dam to take necessary precautions and to be aware of what is happening around them.

Apart from heavy downpour, strong wind has also caused widespread damage in the state's Kasargod district. The rooftops of many buildings and mobile towers were damaged and power supply was also disrupted in the district for over four hours after trees fell on the top of power cables.

Meanwhile, Kerala Meteorological department has withdrawn red alert issued for Idukki and Malappuram districts of the state.

The district administration has banned the entry of all tourism centres in Idukki from Friday onwards. Night travel in the hilly areas will not be allowed either.

Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said that following the prediction of heavy rains, 5 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had arrived in Kerala and have been stationed in the five districts of Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Palakkad.