Thiruvananthapuram: Heavy monsoon rains Sunday lashed Kerala since morning leaving many low-lying areas inundated.
Rain and thundershowers are most likely to occur at several places in the next five days, a weather bulletin issued by the local Met office said Sunday.
Piravom in Ernakulam district recorded 11 cm of rainfall while Nedumangad in the state capital recorded 8 cm. Kollam, Vaikom and Kanjirappally in Kottayam district witnessed 7 cm each, it said.
In Mankada in Malappuram district, a portion of a school building collapsed under impact of the heavy rains but a major disaster was averted as today was holiday being a Sunday.
Low-lying areas in Kollam and Kuttanad were waterlogged and many people have shifted to safer places, officials said.
Fishermen have been warned that strong winds from westerly direction, with a speed occasionally reaching 45-55 kmph, are likely along and off Kerala coast.
Hundreds in relief camps
Hundreds of people in Alappuzha and Kollam districts have been moved to relief camps following torrential monsoon rains in Kerala since the past three days, an official said on Sunday.
The Southwest monsoon set in over Kerala and Lakshadweep on Wednesday. The continuous rain has led to considerable drop in temperature -- from over 40 degrees to 31 degrees Celsius, according to an IMD statement issued here on Sunday.
Alappuzha and Kollam are worst affected due to the monsoon fury.
At Kuttanad, in Alappuzha district, a temporary bund that separated the backwaters from around 350 acres of paddy land, gave way. The land was being readied for a new crop. The loss is estimated at over Rs two million.
Flood waters have entered more than 200 houses, forcing residents to leave. Most have gone to the homes of relatives or are at the relief camps.
State Agriculture minister V.S. Sunilkumar has asked ministry officials to visit the affected areas and prepare a report on the damage to crops.
Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around June 1. It advances northwards, usually in surges, and covers the entire country around July 15.