Torrential rains battered central Kerala on Tuesday, August 30, forcing authorities to sound alerts for residents hit by waterlogging and educational institutions were shut in the affected areas. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted fairly widespread and moderate rainfall with isolated heavy falls and thunderstorm and lightning over parts of Kerala for the next three days.
Residents in affected areas have been alerted and preparations are underway to evacuate them if such emergency arises, authorities said. A video doing rounds on social media showed waterlogging in many parts of Kochi city, some towns and villages in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam and Kottayam districts, making life miserable for the people living there. Heavy rains and waterlogging have delayed Athachamayam' celebrations in Tripunithura, heralding the start of the 10-day 'Onam' festivities in Kerala.
Meanwhile, District Collectors have declared holidays for schools in flood-hit taluks in many central districts of the state. Water level rose in Kuttanad, the rice bowl of coastal Alappuzha district, as the rivers flowing through the region breached its territory at many places.
In its latest advisory, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said that one or two places in the districts of Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kottayam will receive heavy rains today. The KSDMA has also issued yellow warning to the following districts:
August 30, 2022: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur
August 31, 2022: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kasargod and Kannur
September 1, 2022: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kasargod, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur
September 1, 2022: Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki and Kasargod.
Rise in water level in many rivers have been reported as the hilly regions of central Kerala have been receiving heavy rains for the past few days.
Five members of a family had lost their lives after a landslide, triggered by heavy rains, hit their house at a village near Thodupuzha in Idukki district in the early hours of Monday, after which Idukki District Collector Sheeba George has banned night travel on the Puliyanmala-Thodupuzha state highway from 8 pm to 6 am.
Meanwhile, Opposition Congress-led UDF on Tuesday accused the LDF government of lacking a "meticulous" district-wise disaster management plan to address the monsoon related issues and natural calamities in the state. Raising the issue during the Question Hour in the state Assembly, Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan said the natural calamities, recurring in the state since 2018 are a reminder of the fact that Kerala is situated in a disaster-prone area. He also urged the government to make use of the weather predictions of private agencies also along with that of IMD if needed considering the situation in the southern state.
Rejecting the opposition charge on the absence of an effective disaster management plan in the state, Revenue Minister K Rajan said the government has been making all possible efforts to handle any calamity, drawing lessons from the deadly floods in 2018. On the suggestion raised by the LoP, the Revenue Minister said the state government is already availing the weather predictions produced by various private agencies by paying them. Meanwhile, waterlogging has been reported in various districts of Kerala especially in Ernakulam today due to incessant rains.
With PTI inputs