THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Three people died and another person went missing as heavy rains wreaked havoc across the state on Tuesday. As many as 95 houses were partially damaged and another 100 got waterlogged due to sea erosion in Kozhikode. Restrictions were imposed on movement to hilly regions in Idukki and Kannur.
Holiday has been declared for educational institutions in six districts on Wednesday. The Kannur University has postponed all examinations scheduled to be held on Wednesday.
It rained heavily in Kasaragod, Kannur and Idukki on Tuesday. Cherthala in Alappuzha recorded 15 cm of rain, while Kottayam, Kudulu (Kasaragod) and Ranni AWS (Pathanamthitta district) recorded 14 cm each, as per the IMD data on Tuesday morning. An orange alert was declared for 12 districts on Wednesday. The intense spell of rainfall is likely to continue, especially in northern districts, till Saturday.
In Thrissur, a 19-year-old boy who went fishing drowned in a canal at Arippalam. Veron, son of Kollamamparambil Antony of Arippalam, was a student of Kallettumkara Government Polytechnic.
An autorickshaw driver died after his vehicle fell into a canal in Adoor in Pathanamthitta on Tuesday evening. Unnikrishna Kurup of Thatta died as he was caught in the strong current in the canal. In Palakkad, a woman died when a coconut tree fell on her. Thankamani, 55, a native of Pallarode, was working in the paddy fields in Vadakkencherry.
Orange alert sounded in 12 districts today
A 65-year-old man went missing in Iruvanjipuzha at Kodiyathur. C K Ussainkutty of Karakkutti, who went to the riverside to spend time with family, drowned in the river. In view of the monsoon calamities, the revenue department has instructed officials who went on leave to report for duty within next 36 hrs. The government directed district collectors to announce holidays for educational institutions on the previous day.
Three forest fringe villages in Pathanamthitta — Araynjilimon, Kurumpanmoozhy and Avanippara — were marooned after the causeways across the Pampa and the Achankovil got submerged. Water levels in Pampa, Manimala and Achankovil rivers have risen. In Idukki, a mudlsip was reported from Munnar.
The IMD issued an orange alert for all districts except Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam on Wednesday. These districts can expect heavy rainfall (7- 11 cm) to very heavy rainfall (12-20 cm) in 24 hours. The weather in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod is likely to continue the same on Thursday. Rain or thundershowers are most likely to occur across the state till July 8, said the official forecast. Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea due to the high-velocity wind (45-65 Kmph) and high waves reaching up to 3.5 - 3.7m between Vizhinjam and Kasaragod.