Heavy monsoon rains cause power disruption, waterlogging in many parts of Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi | As heavy monsoon rains continued to lash many parts of Kerala, uprooting of trees, power disruptions and waterlogging of low-lying areas and places close to rivers were reported from across the state on Friday.

An 85-year-old woman, who worked as an MGNREGA worker in Ernakulam district, died when an uprooted tree fell on top of her while returning home on Thursday evening.

The Ernakulam district authorities also reported a rise in the water level of the Muvattupuzha River above the flood warning markers, leading to the opening of three shutters of the Malankara Dam by 20 centimetres (cm).

In many places in the hilly districts of Wayanad and Idukki, people were moved to relief camps from areas prone to landslides and flash floods.

New camps were also set up in these districts, authorities said.

As the heavy rains continued, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert in Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad districts for three hours from 10 am.

It also issued an orange alert in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod for the same period.

A red alert by IMD indicates heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.

In view of the red and orange alerts, holidays were declared for educational institutions on Friday in several districts, including Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.

The IMD also said that thunderstorms with heavy to moderate rainfall and winds of speeds reaching 60 kilometer per hour (kmph) were likely to occur in some places in all these districts.

On Thursday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that the monsoon rains, which arrived early this year, have caused widespread damage in the state and urged those living in areas prone to flooding and landslides to move to safer locations or relief camps.

The monsoons had arrived in the state on May 24, eight days ahead of schedule.