Kerala Grapples With Heavy Rain: Over 10 Lives Lost

More than 10 people have lost their lives since June 1 due to rain-related incidents in Kerala as rains continued to lash several parts of the state, Manorama reported.

On Wednesday, two deaths were reported in rain-related accidents in Thiruvananthapuram. 68-year-old Chandran died while cutting a tree and a 15- year-old boy drowned in a pond at Aryanad, the report said.

The heavy rains in the last few days have affected normal life as schools declared holidays in many districts. Hundreds of people are displaced from their homes, which were damaged by uprooted trees or flooded by rising river water, forcing them to take shelter in the relief camps, according to a report in PTI.

The shutters of some dams, like the Malankara Dam in the Idukki district, were opened to release water downstream, following heavy rains in their catchment area. However, in several other dams, the water levels showed a "falling trend", indicating a drop in rainfall intensity as was predicted a day ago by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

In a Facebook post, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that a total of 47 camps are functioning in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Malappuram and Kasaragod districts and 879 persons have been shifted there.

The Chief Minister also said that as the heavy rains continue, there are possibilities of flash floods, landslides and waterlogging in low-lying areas and therefore, the public and government agencies should be vigilant and cautious.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert in Kannur and Kasaragod districts while an orange alert has been sounded for seven districts - Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. A yellow alert was issued in Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam.

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.