Thiruvananthapuram: The heavy rains witnessed by Kerala for the past week will lower in intensity on Tuesday, the Indian Meteorological Department informed.

The IMD has however, issued a yellow alert in seven districts indicating moderate to heavy rains here. the districts include Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod. Fishermen have been warned not to put out to sea as strong winds with speed reaching 45-55 kmph are likely to prevail along and off Kerala, Karnataka coasts and over Lakshadweep area.

Red alert will continue in the Sholayar, Kallarkutty, Kundala, Peringalkuthu, Lower Periyar, Muzhiyar, Ponmudi, Irattiyar and Banasura dams as the water levels here remain above danger level.

Kerala received a rainfall of 164 mm in past four days. This is 10 per cent higher than average.

4 casualties

Three people died in rain-related incidents in Kerala in the last two days as heavy showers continued to lash several parts of the state on Monday, officials said.

Two men, aged 37 and 50, drowned when they fell into flooded water pits in two different places in Kasaragod district on Monday, the state disaster management authority (SDMA) said.

One person died of electrocution here on Sunday when he came into contact with a live wire which got snapped due to heavy rain and wind, an SDMA official said.

In Malappuram, the body of a youth identified as Jitheesh (28) who drowned in a stream here on Friday was recovered.

In another incident, a country boat, carrying nine people, overturned at a waterbody near Adimali in Idukki district, but all occupants were rescued.

"All the passengers were Tribals who were on their way to collect produce from the forest when the boat overturned. All were rescued and none of them was seriously injured," Idukki District Collector H Dineshan said.

A 61-year-old fisherman identified as Abraham Kora died after a fishing boat carrying six capsized in the coastal waters off Thumba in Thiruvananthapuram district.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for 10 districts after a low pressure area formed over the North East Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood on Monday.

The Kundala, Kallarkutti, Malankara and Ponmudi dam shutters have been opened resulting in water rise in Periyar, Muthirapuzha and Muvattupuzha rivers.

Hosdur in Kasaragod received 9 cm of rainfall, as per the latest bulletin on the IMD website, while Vythiri in Wayanad district received 9.4 cm, Munnar and Peerumedu in Idukki and Nedumangadu in Thiruvananthapuram recorded 7 cms.

At least eight houses have been destroyed in yesterday's rain in Kasaragod district.

Three units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which reached Kerala on Sunday, have been deployed inWayanad, Malappuram and Thrissur districts, officials said.

Already there are two NDRF teams in Idukki and Kozhikode districts.