Bringing back memories of the catastrophic 2018 floods that inundated the state, triggered a series of landslides and left 483 dead, Central Kerala districts received extreme rainfall on Friday night which set off flashflood, landslide and devastation in Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Kottayam. Four people where killed in the debris flow triggered by landslides.
The India Meteorological Department has declared red alert in the districts of Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad Kannur and Kasaragod.
In Idukki district, two persons were killed in landslides. A 69-year-old woman was killed after a landslide buried her house at Adurmala near Kudayathoor in the early hours of Saturday. The deceased, Sumathi (69), was trapped under the debris after a portion of the hill caved in and fell on her house near Adurmala Devi Temple around 2 am.
Two others in the house, Ravi Narayanan (72) and Ratheesh (38), were rescued with injuries.
A 29-member NDRF team along with Fire and Rescue personnel from Thodupuzha and Moolamattom conducted search operations, which were hampered by heavy rain and and extreme weather. Earth-movers were brought to remove the debris. In Vagamon, Prabhakaran Nair, 72 who was staying at the house of his relative Leelamani of Kolahalamedu died as a landslide destroyed a portion of the house. The body was retrieved after demolishing a portion of the building.
The rainfall was so intense that certain areas received more than 30 cm rainfall within a span of eight hours. Vagamon in Idukki district recorded 31.4 cm rainfall while Vadasserikkara and in Pathanamthitta recorded 33 cm and Laha in the same district got 25 cm rainfall. There was a sudden surge in the water level in Pampa river that inundated houses on either banks. Ranni town was submerged and several vehicles were caught in the flood waters. NDRF, Fire and Rescue Force, Police and the public launched rescue operations shifting people caught in houses using dingy boats and distributing food and water to the people shifted to relief camps. A state of emergency prevails in the three districts.
A landslide near Pulluppara at Peruvanthanam completely destroyed a portion of the road, while traffic between Kattappana and Vazhavara was blocked following a landslip.
A mudslide was also reported at 14th Mile near Adimali on the national highway early Saturday, affecting traffic.
At Kanchiyar, a temporary bridge at Kuzhiyodippadi was washed away in flooding caused by the overnight rain, leaving around 100 families in the area facing difficulties. Meanwhile, a search is continuing at Kolahalamedu in Vagamon for a man reported missing after he was trapped under debris following a landslide near his house on Friday night. The landslide occurred in the upstream area of Malankara Dam, which resulted in a surge in inflow into the reservoir.
The water level has already crossed warning level in the downstream Muvattupuzha and Thodupuzha rivers. At Pambla Dam, an additional 500 cubic metres per second of water will be released from 10 am, taking the total discharge to 1,000 cumecs.
In Kottayam district, overnight heavy rain triggered widespread devastation, leaving one person dead and two people missing in Poonjar. The deceased has been identified as Josephine Johny -28, a resident of Manapad House at Payyanithottam in Poonjar. Josephine was killed after the debris crashed onto the house during the early hours of Saturday. Josephine's mother, Rejina Johny's body has ben recovered on Saturday. The incident occurred around 4.30 am. Authorities are also searching for another missing person from the area.
Landslides and mudslips were reported across the district's eastern high ranges of Kodunga in Koottickal, Kokkayar, Kaippally in Teekoy, and Munnilav. The Meenachil and Manimala rivers swelled and flood waters inundated low-lying areas leading to widespread traffic disruption on Ettumanoor - Pala - Erattupetta Road and Pala - Ponkunnam Road.
The district administration has opened relief camps in Kanjirappally, Changanassery and Kottayam taluks to accommodate residents evacuated from landslide- and flood-prone areas.
In Pathanamthitta the water level in Pampa river rose swiftly and the river breached banks submerging houses shops and establishments in Vadasserikkara, Ranni, Ittiyappara, Attikayam, Kurumbamuzhi and downstream areas including Aranmula. The water level is rising at Pandanadu, Chengannur and Thiruvalla areas.
Residents said the flash flood could be due to a possible landslide inside the forests. However, this has not been confirmed. Traffic on the Ranni Thiruvalla, Ranni - Cherukolpuzha and Ranni - Kozhanchery routes were disrupted due to water logging. Traffic on the Kottarakara - Dindigul and Kutttikanam - Kattapana highways was disrupted due to mudslides at different locations. The floodgates of the dams at Pambla, Kallarkutty and Malankara were opened due to heavy inflow.
Heavy rain was also reported from the hilly areas of Kollam district, while floods and minor landslides were reported in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad.
In Chaliyam, Kozhikode, a fishing boat was stranded in high waves, and fishermen were later rescued.
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Saturday said the government was fully prepared to deal with rain-related emergencies as heavy rain continued to lash the state, triggering landslides, flash floods and widespread disruption in several districts.
In a social media post, Satheesan said he had spoken to the Revenue Minister, Chief Secretary and district collectors following reports of landslides and mudslides from various parts of the state.
He said the Revenue Minister would coordinate disaster management operations and had convened a meeting of all district collectors at 11 am to review the situation.
Satheesan said teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and other emergency agencies were ready to respond to any eventuality.
The government would ensure the best possible treatment for those injured and expedite rehabilitation measures for affected families, he added.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast continued heavy rainfall in parts of Kerala, prompting authorities to keep rescue teams on alert and advise people in vulnerable areas to remain cautious.
A red alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts, while an orange alert is in place for Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad.
District administrations have declared holidays for educational institutions in several districts due to the heavy rain forecast.
(With inputs from PTI)
