A heavy and unprecedented downpour seen on Saturday evening in Kerala’s Idukki led to several landslides that affected daily life in the district. Multiple landslides were seen in Kumily and brought life to a halt for the residents of the region.
Idukki, which was one of the most severely hit regions during the floods in August, experienced a sudden onset of heavy rains over the weekend. The rains on Saturday evening, in particular, had major consequences.
Residents were literally left in the dark as the power supply to several parts was disrupted due to the rains and did not return for several hours. Furthermore, the showers caused massive destruction to agriculture and crops in parts of Kumily.
It was also reported that landslides were triggered in various parts of the Kottarakkara Dindigul National Highway.
Near the Kumily-Munnar route, in the area of Chakkupallam, traffic was halted after several boulders fell on the road. Similarly, the Kumily to Kattappana route too witnessed several obstacles following the rains.
Water from the rains reportedly entered houses located in Periyar Colony and Attappallam Laksham Veedu Colony in Kumily. Some residents were forced to evacuate their homes after the continuous downpour.
Earlier, it came to light that one of the shutters of Idukki’s Cheruthoni dam were opened on Saturday morning after heavy rains were predicted for the weekend.
Idukki district authorities had warned people in the vicinity to take all precautionary measures as needed.
The deluge which wreaked havoc throughout the state in August resulted in the dam shutters of the district being opened for the first time in over 20 years after the water level was nearing capacity.