THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After chairing a high-level meeting to review the rain situation in the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan asked the district collectors to ensure that there are no complaints from those shifted to relief camps. A total of 66 relief camps have been set up in the state with 1,974 people from 589 families lodged in them.
The government has also converted 3,071 buildings into relief camps. A total of 4.23 lakh people can be accommodated in these camps if the need arises, a note from the revenue department has said. Elected representatives, local body officials and officers should also make sure there are proper facilities for sanitation and healthcare, and adequate food is available in the camps. Monitoring has been stepped up in dams operated by KSEB and irrigation department.
The chief minister said three teams of the National Disaster Response Force are presently camping in the state. Another four teams will arrive by Monday morning. If required, two teams from the Defence Security Corps will also be deployed in Kannur and Wayanad districts. Pinarayi directed officials to relocate people in landslide-prone areas to safer locations. Fishermen have been told not to venture into the sea.
Restrictions in Sabarimala
The high-level meeting was of the view that allowing more pilgrims to visit Sabarimala in the present situation would pose problems. The meeting decided to impose certain curbs in the number of pilgrims entering the hill shrine. Bathing in Pampa river will not be allowed since water level is high. The government will consider reallotting the dates booked by pilgrims through virtual queue system.
District collectors can decide on declaring holiday for educational institutions after assessing the situation in their respective districts. Ministers M V Govindan, K Radhakrishnan, Roshy Augustine and Chief Secretary V P Joy attended the meeting.
Travel ban in hilly regions
In the wake of incessant rain, Pathanamthitta district administration imposed complete ban on travel to hilly areas from 7pm to 6am on Sunday and Monday.
Water level rises in upper Kuttanad
Alappuzha district administration has initiated steps to tackle waterlogging after rain in eastern areas of the Pathanamthitta and Kottayam. Water level in the Pampa, Manimala, and Achankovil increased.
Six-year-old drowns in pit Kannur: A six -year-old boy drowned after falling into a pit dug for a well at Pedayangode near Irikkur on Sunday. The deceased is Nasal, son of Parammal Sajid and Sumayya.
Woman drowns in river
T’Puram: A 75-year-old woman drowned in the Neyyar on Sunday morning after she was caught in strong undercurrents while taking bath. The deceased is Lalitha Bhai of Kizhakkekannakkode House, Pashuvannara, Kattakada. The body was recovered from Palakkadavu near the river at Neyyattinkara.
Yellow alerts in Northern districts
Kozhikode: The India Meteorological Department has declared an orange alert in three districts— Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod — on Monday. Due to heavy rain at night, people in Kozhikode had to be relocated during the day in areas prone to landslides, mudslides and flashfloods. The authorities are keeping a close watch on the weather situation, to decide the course of action in the coming days. The IMD has warned fishermen not to go fishing from November 15 to 16 while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (INCOIS) has forecast tidal surges of 3 to 3.5 metres off the coast of Kerala (Vizhinjam to Kasaragod) from 11.30pm on Sunday.