Idukki on high alert after landslides wreak havoc; 2 shutters of Kallar Dam opened

Idukki: In light of the India Meteorological Department sounding a yellow alert in Idukki, District Collector Sheeba George has asked the public to remain cautious and avoid night travel. Police, Fire and Rescue, Revenue and other departments have been issued necessary orders in this regard, said the collector.

Two shutters of Kallar Dam were raised by 10 cm at 7.45 pm after the water level breached the red alert point. A warning has been issued to those living on the banks of both Kallar and Chinnar rivers to exercise extra caution, added the collector, who is also the chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority.

As per the data available from the district administration, a farm worker died at Cheriyar in Santhanpara Panchayat on Sunday night after the wall of his house collapsed on him while he was sleeping. According to officials, three landslides occurred in the Cheriyar-Dalam region of Santhanpara on Sunday night. A total of 25 people, including interstate workers, were shifted to relief camps. Roads have also been washed away in the landslide at Pethotti and Kallippara areas of Santhanpara.

In the landslides that occurred in Santhanpara, Udumbanchola, and Pambadumpara regions, massive destruction of agricultural land has also occurred. As many as 25 hectares of farmland, including 15 hectares that was meant for cardamom cultivation, was washed away. Details of further losses in the agricultural sector are being collected, officials with the district administration said.

On the Vattavada-Kottakamboor road, a portion of the road near the health centre and panchayat office was washed away due to heavy rain. Hence, the Kottakamboor, Kadavari and Thattampara areas have been isolated, said officials.

Night travel ban
As per the order issued by the collector, night travel (7 pm to 6 am) has been banned along the Udumbanchola-Cheriyar stretch on the Munnar-Kumily state highway from Monday till further notice. Police have been instructed to help travellers with parallel routes.