Wayanad: Until a few days ago, the river Kabani was a stark reflection of the harsh summer. A trickle of water snaking through dry beds of rock and patches of sand. In the heavy summer showers that lashed Wayanad, the river has swollen to such an extent the authorities have flagged an alarm.

T Rajkumar, 24, a labourer from Ayyankolly, Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu drowned in the river on Tuesday afternoon. Rajkumar was angling along with friends when the mishap occurred. As the rescue attempts of his friends and local people failed, the Fire and Rescue team from Sulthan Bathery reached the spot. The body was retrieved after a few hours from downstream.

According to Jose Nelledam, a member of the Mullankolly panchayat, the victim sat atop a rock and was fishing. He lost his balance and slipped into the river. '' That particular spot where he fell had a churn hole,'' he said.

The district had received copious summer showers in the last few days. "As most of the rivers merge with the River Kabani, wherever it rains in the district, the water level of River Kabani would rise,'' said PM Surjith, Assistant Engineer, Cauvery basin section.

'' Though there was no intense flow in the river, there are many dangerous spots in the river bed, posing danger to the fishers and divers,'' he said.

The water level had risen only up to 60 cm on Tuesday. The drinking water supply network in Pulppalli and Mullankolly panchayath was suspended for weeks as the river was reduced to a mere bed of rock and sand. Hundreds of volunteers had constructed a check dam across the river last month (April), and water from the Karapuzha reservoir was diverted to the river, to fill the check dam, thus reestablishing the water supply network.