No relief in sight, Met dept predicts more heavy rainfall across Kerala
According to IMD, all 14 districts except Thiruvananthapuram are expected to receive heavy rainfall till Tuesday.
PTI news Natural Disaster Friday, August 10, 2018 - 17:03
As Kerala continues to experience heavy rainfall, which so far claimed at least 27 lives and several properties, the rainfall forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) does not signal any relief.
All 14 districts except Thiruvananthapuram are predicted to receive ‘heavy rainfall’ with high spatial distribution, till Tuesday. The worst-affected district of Wayanad is expected to receive ‘heavy to very heavy’ rain.
Idukki, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Palakkad, the other four districts that have been severely affected, are also expected to receive ‘heavy rainfall’ if not ‘very heavy rainfall’.
On Friday, the IMD Centre in Thiruvanthanapuram noted that only Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kasargode districts do not require action by the authorities till Saturday.
Earlier on Thursday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had termed the rains to be “unprecedented” and “very alarming”, which has already caused one of the worst floods in the state in recent times.
Normal life has been hit with holidays being declared in many districts. Currently, close to 500 relief camps have been set up and the number is likely to go up.
.Rescue and relief operations are being handled by the state and national agencies, including the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and the National Disaster Relief Force. Eight columns of the Indian Army and two helicopters of the Air Force have been deployed.
Power and water supply have also been affected in various parts of the state in the wake of multiple dams being opened and in the process, inundating downstream areas. All low-lying areas have been put on high alert and residents living in vulnerable localities have been evacuated. There have been reports of tourists trapped in resorts, too.
As reported earlier by TNM, Palakkad is facing a shortage of water supply as a repair work has been stalled due to rains, while power distribution has been cut off as a precautionary measure. Ernakulam district is also facing a shortage of drinking water, with one of its pumping systems facing an issue.
While CM Pinarayi Vijayan has spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, there has also been communication with his Karnataka counterpart HD Kumaraswamy.
