Even as several districts of Kerala are reeling under floods, landslides and severe inundation, the Indian Meteorological Department has said that Malappuram and Kozhikode will witness very heavy rainfall, while Wayanad and Idukki will see extremely heavy rainfall on Friday. Five other districts (Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kannur and Kasargode) will have very heavy rains, stated IMD. Barring the state capital district and neighbouring Kollam, the remaining 12 districts have been affected by the rains.
Relief camps have been opened across districts. Nilambur in Malappuram has the highest number of people shifted to camps, with the town completely inundated. Seven hundred people have evacuated from their homes and taken shelter in relief camps in Nilambur since Thursday morning and many more are trickling in. Nilambur recorded 106.2mm of rainfall over 24 hours until Thursday morning, the highest recorded in the district.
Nilambur police official A.P. Sunil told the media that while they transferred around 100 people to safer places, some have refused leave their houses. "If they do not come out on their own, they will be forcefully taken out," he said.
Meanwhile, two women were killed in the state and over 2,600 people evacuated after heavy rains battered several parts of Kerala, said Revenue Minister E. Chandrashekeran. He told the media that districts like Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad, Kasargode and Idukki were the worst affected areas.
On Wednesday morning, a 50-year-old woman, Kara, died after a tree fell over her house in Palakkad district's Attapady. Twenty-four-year-old lady Muthu fell unconscious and died after her house in Panamaram village in Wayanad was flooded.
"At the moment, 2,600 people have been kept in 47 relief camps in these places. Three teams of the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) have started their work at Malappuram, Wayanad and Idukki. We have requested 10 more teams, of which five from Arkonam (Tamil Nadu) have started their journey," said Chandrashekeran.
Fishermen have been warned not to visit the beaches because of the winds blowing at the speed of 40-50 km per hour. Traffic on the Kannur-Kozhikode national highway and Kottayam-Kumili route have been badly affected. Inbound tourists to Idukki district have been warned not to come till August 15 as the hilly district have been witnessing landslides at a few places.
(With IANS inputs)