With the intensity of rain in Kerala increasing, many places in the state face the threat of floods and landslides. Meanwhile, three persons went missing in Elamkunnapuzha river in Ernakulam after their fishing boats capsized due to heavy winds and two persons were found dead on Thursday. The deceased have been identified as Santhosh from Nayarambalam and Sajeevan from Pachalam. Search for another missing person is still on.
On Wednesday early morning, four people had gone fishing in two small country boats. Due to heavy rain and gusty wind, the boat capsized and three went missing while one person,Saju, was rescued.
One casualty has been reported in Thiruvananthapuram, when a Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) employee from Uzhamalakkal in Thiruvananthapuram died after a tree fell on him while riding his bike. The deceased has been identified as V Ajaykumar (40). He was reportedly on his way to office. According to reports, a peepul tree and an electricity post fell on to the road when he was riding the bike. While passersby noticed the accident and immediately retrieved the body, as per reports, he had passed away on the spot. His death was later confirmed at the Nedumangad District hospital.
Heavy rains in Palakkad’s Attapadi region have cut off electricity access for residents here. With all 11 overhead power lines damaged, restoring electricity in the region will take a few days, according to reports.In areas of Pattambi and Thrithala too, widespread damage has been reported, with hundreds of houses damaged due to the rains. In order to regulate water levels in the Bharathapuzha river, 25 out of 27 shutters of the Thrithala Velliyamkallu regulator have also been opened.
In Kottayam, heavy winds following rains in the southern hill ranges of the district have led to damage of agricultural fields.Hundreds of acres of fields have reportedly been damaged in Kanjirapally, Poonjar thekkekara, Mundakayam etc.
With several trees uprooted due to rains, traffic on the roads in these areas too was disrupted. Heavy winds in Vechoor, Vaikom also led to hundreds of trees getting uprooted. Over 20 houses in the area have rain-related damage, as per reports. In the preliminary investigation by the revenue department, an estimated loss of Rs 15 lakh has been recorded.
While Kozhikode and Wayanad are on Red alert on Thursday, the IMD has issued an Orange warning to Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod for August 7, 8 and 9.
More than 800 families were relocated from vulnerable areas of Wayanad district. Many of them have been shifted to the relief camps. The Meppadi area which includes Puthumala, which witnessed the worst landslide in 2019, witnessed severe rain this time too. Manathavady and Bathery areas are also under threat, with water logged in many places. Several trees have fallen, many houses, vehicles and agricultural areas have been destroyed.
16 relief camps have been opened in the district. Wayanad District Information Centre has informed that around 1400 people from 368 families are staying in the relief camps. District Collector Adeela Abdulla has informed that separate stay was arranged for people from containment zones and that all rescue operations are being done by following all the COVID 19 regulations. In the border areas of Karnataka, Wayanad is also under high alert as the rivers are overflowing.
Nilambur region in Malappuram is another area affected severely due to rains. Most of the roads in the region were water logged. The water level at Chaliyar river has considerably increased in Nilambur causing concern as the Kavalappara region, which was hit badly by landslides in 2019, is situated nearby. Water logging was reported in many houses of Nilambur and four relief camps were opened in the region. Around 30 families in Nilambur were relocated. Some of the tribal colonies in the area have been isolated as some temporary bridges connecting the colonies have been destroyed.
The hilly areas of Kozhikode district is another worst hit areas in the state. Since the water raised in Chaliyar and Iravazhinji rivers, people staying on the banks were alerted. Water logged in many of the roads that traffic has been blocked.
"Government has announced a red alert in this region til August 8. In many places water levels are increasing. People are requested to pack their essential things and shift to some relatives houses. People in the region should be ready to shift to relief camps at any point of time," TK Vinod, Karassery Panchayat president said. He added the people in the region should first consider shifting to some relatives houses that it is better to avoid crowds in releief camps due to COVID 19.
Kannur district have witnessed a huge destruction in agriculture due to heavy rains. The hilly areas of the district has got the huge loss. Peringom, Cherupuzha, Sreekantapuram regions of Kannur are under high alerted area. In Ayyamkunnu and Payam Panchayats more than 15000 banana plantains were destroyed in the wind. They were planted aiming at the Onam market.