The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red warnings to Idukki and Wayanad districts in Kerala, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall above 204.4 mm, on Thursday. The Idukki district administration has also banned night time traffic in the district, taking into account the possibility of heavy rainfall trigerring landslides and flooding in the region. Traffic has been banned from 7 pm to 6 am from Thursday.
Three shutters of the Ponmudi dam in Idukki will also be opened at 10 am on Friday due to the rising water levels. Shutters will be opened by 30 cms each releasing 65 cumecs of water.
A red warning is the highest among the four alerts issued by the IMD. It asks authorities to take action. Apart from Idukki and Wayanad, an orange warning has been issued for the districts of Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod, asking authorities to be prepared to take any action that is needed. A yellow warning has been issued in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram and districts like Kollam, Pathanamathitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam.
A red warning was issued for Kozhikode earlier on Thursday but has since been removed.
Meanwhile, the project to clear small canals inside the premises of the Nedumbassery International Airport in Cochin to prevent water logging has been completed. The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has desilted canals including the Chengalthodu stream and water bodies stretching as far as 15 kilometres south of the airport.
In 2019, the CIAL spent Rs 24.68 lakhs and cleared out some canals and other water channels in the area. For this year, Rs 29 lakhs have been spent to clear the water bodies. Weed and waste removal process was also completed in Kaithakkattuchira and the portion from Chengalthodu’s Chethikkod to AP Varkey road.
Work is also underway to prevent flooding in the airport area and nearby villages. Despite heavy rains like in 2019, relief plans have been designed to divert water to the lower reaches of the Periyar. CIAL is carrying out these flood prevention operations with the help of modern machinery.
Rains intensified across Kerala on Thursday with rain-related casualties reported across the state. In Ernakulam, two fishermen passed away after going missing in the Elamkunnapuzha river after heavy winds led to their boat capsizing on Wednesday.
In Thiruvananthapuram, a 40-year-old Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) employee passed away on Thursday morning after a tree and an electric pole crashed on his bike. The deceased, identified as Ajikumar, was traveling to his office in Nedumangad when the accident occurred. Although rescue workers retrieved his body, Ajikumar passed away on the spot.
In Kottayam and Idukki, heavy rain and winds damaged agricultural land and broke Munnar’s Periyavarai bridge on Thursday.