As many as eight people have lost their lives and a few others are reported missing as per the latest update by the government as incessant rains continue to pound Kerala from Sunday, July 31. On Tuesday morning, the body of a two-and-a-half-year-old child was found around 200 metres away from the house in Kannur, where one more death has been reported. Four deaths have been reported from Pathanamthitta. Kollam and Kottayam districts have reported one death each, while four people have gone missing. Of the eight deaths, two have been reported in the last 24 hours. However, unofficial figures suggest that the death toll could be 10.
On Monday, a 27-year-old man named Kingston from Tamil Nadu was injured after his boat overturned at Vizhinjam village in Thiruvananthapuram district and he died on the way to the hospital after he was brought to the shore.
Three people died on Monday when their car fell into a ravine at Vennikulam village in Mallappalali taluk - Chandy Mathew, Seba Mathew and Blessy Chandy, the deceased are natives of Kumily.
On Sunday evening, Kumaran (50) from Madurai, died after falling into the Kumbhavuruti waterfall at Aryankav village in Punalur taluk. One more person Advait, 22, died after being swept away by the flood in the Palakkava at Kollamula village.
A person named Kannuparampil Rias, 45, has been washed away from Koutikal Chappath in Kanjirapalli taluk and is reported missing.
A young man named Shakeel, a native of Pailur-Mutannoor, died on Sunday after his boat overturned during an excursion in the Tirur- Ponnani river in Mangalam village of Tirur taluk.
In Kottayam, the body of a man who had gone missing a day ago was recovered on Tuesday morning from the Koottikkal Chappath area of the district, the emergency operations centre there said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) as part of the Central Water Commission advisory has predicted extremely heavy rains in Ernakulam, Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram and very heavy rains in Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad and Thrissur districts for next 3 to 4 days. Alert for water level rise may be kept in Meenachil, Manimala, Pamba, Thodupuzha, Muvattupuzha, Periyar, Achankovil, Kallada, Vamanapuram, their tributaries and other small rivers of above said districts, the IMD stated. Increased inflow is expected into Idukki and Edamalayar dams.
Water levels of Kalady, Marthandavarma stations are above the respective flood warning levels. The CWC report has warned of severe flood situation in Periyar and Pamba on August 4.
In Thrissur, the Chalakudy river water levels rose by nearly 5 metres around 2 am on Tuesday due to the heavy rains leading to the district administration advising those living on the low-lying areas of the river's banks to move to safer places.
The Department of Agriculture has opened control rooms at the state and district levels. The Agriculture Minister informed that the Agriculture Department has opened control rooms at the state and district levels for reporting agricultural damage and disaster mitigation as heavy rains and natural calamities are expected in the state in the next few days. Farmers can contact the following numbers to report information:
State Level Control Center – 9495931216
District level control centres
Thiruvananthapuram - 9383470086, 9383470092; Kollam - 9447104855, 7907935033; Pathanamthitta - 9495734107, 9495606930; Kottayam - 9383470704, 9383470714; Alappuzha - 9496117012, 9447400212; Ernakulam- 9383471150, 9383471180; Thrissur - 9446035934, 9447614652; Palakkad- 9447359453, 9447839399; Malappuram- 9446474275, 9895335298; Kozhikode- 9383471784, 9383471779; Idukki - 9447124455, 9447447705; Wayanad- 9446367312, 9383471912; Kannur- 9383472028, 9495326950; Kasaragod - 9383471969, 9447089766
As incessant rains continue to lash Kerala with reports of landslides and rising river water levels in some parts of the state, the IMD issued red warning in 10 districts of the southern state for Tuesday. IMD also issued a red warning in the same 10 districts for August 3 also.
The red warning is issued in all the districts of the state barring Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Kasaragod, where orange warning has been issued for August 2 and 3, according to an IMD district rainfall forecast issued for Kerala at 10 am on Tuesday.
A red warning indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while orange warning means very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm of rain. A yellow warning means heavy rainfall between 6 and 11 cm.
The department also warned of widespread and isolated heavy and very heavy rainfall in the state till August 5.
As the heavy rains continued, the authorities have set up relief camps in various districts and tourist spots in high range areas of Idukki have been closed down. Shutters of dams have been opened across the state.
Rain activity has shifted from southern districts to the northern as Tuesday saw central and northern districts getting heavy rain.
Educational institutions in several districts have been given a holiday for Tuesday.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the rule curve at all the dams are under constant monitoring and the authorities concerned will be taking the appropriate decisions and at the moment things are under control.
State Revenue Minister K Rajan said control rooms at all the district headquarters of the state are functioning.
A total of 49 relief camps have been opened in the state, and as many as 289 families and 922 people are housed in the camps.