Thrissur: Kerala has been experiencing heavy rainfall for the past few days and it has disrupted normal life in certain places of the State.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an Orange alert in 12 districts of the State. A Yellow alert has been issued in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam.
Ten shutters of Bhoothathankettu dam located 10kms away from Ernakulam's Kothamangalam were raised on Thursday.
The water level is expected to go up in Periyar river. Water level in the Peringalkuthu dam across the Chalakkudi River in Kerala's Thrissur district is steadily rising amid the heavy rains here. An Orange alert has been sounded.
The dam shutters will be raised if the water level rises by one more metre, District Collector Haritha V Kumar has informed.
Meanwhile, a tree fell over a house in Nedumkandam of Idukki district following the high-speed winds and heavy rains there. There are no casualties. The electric lines in the area have been disconnected.
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The Kozhikode-Kannur National Highway was blocked after a tree fell over in the Poyilkaavil area. Vehicles have been stuck in a roadblock for the past four hours following this.
A similar road blockade on the National Highway in Koyilandi lasted for over six and half hours.
Ernakulam district witnessed waterlogging after the continuous rainfall on Wednesday night.
Muvattupuzha and Kalamassery areas have been flooded. Many low-lying regions in Kochi including MG Road, Valanjambalam, Panampally Nagar, South Railway Station, bus stand, Kaloor and Edapally were inundated. The inroads to coastal areas like Vypin and Njarakkal have been flooded.
Heavy rain continues to lash Kothamangalam and other hilly regions of the district. District authorities have opened control rooms for rain-related queries and relief management. Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)are also camping in the district.
The rain has subsided in Thiruvananthapuram district. Though an alert has been issued, there was no significant rain in most parts of the district during the night.
Orange Alert in 12 districts
Predicting heavy rains in the State for the next 5 days, the Met department revised the warnings for the different districts on Thursday. An Orange alert was issued in all districts except Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam.
A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while orange alert means very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm of rain. A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm.
Disaster response teams kept ready
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan issued a slew of directions to ensure the State was prepared to handle monsoon-related problems like landslides and flooding.
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority has predicted widespread rain for the next five days with chances of isolated thunder, lightning and strong winds due to the cyclonic circulation in and around the State as well as a low pressure trough from north of the State to Vidarbha region.
The Central Meteorological Department has predicted isolated heavy and very heavy rainfall showers for the next two days and heavy rainfall two days thereafter.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has already deployed five teams to Kerala.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has asked people to stay away from rivers and other water bodies until the rains subside.
The SDMA have also advised people not to travel to hilly regions unless it is an emergency and to avoid night travel until the rain subsides.
The district administrations have also warned the people against staying near coastal areas of high tide.
The IMD had earlier predicted that the southwest monsoon, which is also known as Edavapathy in the State, is likely to bring its first showers to Kerala by May 27, five days earlier than the normal onset date.
