Heavy rain floods parts of Thrissur, tourist spots including Athirappilly closed for visitors

Thrissur: Several parts of the district were inundated following the heavy rain and flooding on Tuesday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert in the district.
Tourist spots, including Athirappilly waterfalls, have been closed for visitors, the district administration said.  

A 25-member NDRF team has reached the district to bolster the rescue operations. The team is coordinating activities focused on the severely affected Wadakkanchery area. Additionally, 50 Civil Defense volunteers have been deployed to Talappilly, Thrissur and Chalakudy taluks.

The paddy fields surrounding the Uthralikkavu Temple have been inundated due to heavy rain. Areas near Wadakkanchery town such as Chalipadam, Divine Hospital, school grounds, Marath Kunnu, Pullanikad, Kumaranellur Mangalam, and Kallam Kundu are also flooded. In Malakkappara, a landslip killed two people when debris fell on their house. The deceased are Rajeshwari and her daughter Jnanapriya.

Chaired by District Collector Arjun Pandyan, the District Disaster Management Authority held an online meeting to assess the situation. In areas prone to waterlogging, landslides, and mudslides, evacuations are underway. The District Collector has issued strict instructions to cut down trees that pose a danger to traffic and pedestrians. 

The district authorities have banned all travel via the Chalakudy-Malakkappara route. In emergencies, one must seek travel permission from the authorities. Currently, 1,042 people from 299 families are accommodated in 31 camps across six taluks in the district.

Shutters of major dams in the district, including Peechi, Vazhani, Peringalkuthu, Poomala, Asurankund and Pathazhakund were raised to release excess water. Follwing heavy inlow, four spillway shutters of Peechi Dam were opened to a height of 150 cm each, while four shutters of Vazhani Dam were opened to 70 cm each, authorities said.

Four shutters of Poomala Dam were opened to 15  cm each, and four shutters of Pathazhakund Dam were opened to 6 cm each. Seven shutters and one sluice gate of Peringalkuthu Dam have also been opened. Officials said that Thunakadavu dam was releasing water to Peringalkuthu and Tamil Nadu's Sholayar dam has begun releasing waters into Kerala's Sholayar.