Heavy rains trigger flooding, red alert in five district of Kerala

The Indian Meterological department has warned that Kerala's heavy downpour will continue all through Saturday night as red alerts have been issued for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki and Thrissur districts which are expected to receive the heaviest rainfall. The sudden downpour is due to a low-pressure area that formed over the Arabian Sea.

An orange alert (isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall) has been declared in seven other districts and a yellow alert (isolated heavy rainfall) in Kannur and Wayanad districts. Flooding has also hit several districts with a video of stranded commuters being rescued from a flooded KSRTC bus in Poonjar, Kottayam going viral.

Minister K Rajan who oversees the Disaster Management Committee has convened a meeting of the same. People living in hogh-risk areas prone to flooding, landslides or near swollen rivers are being shifted to temporary camps. Six teams of the NDRF have been deployed across Kerala for rescue and relief operations. With water levels rising rapidly in the Kakki dam, the minister said Sabarimala pilgrims must desist from taking bath in the Pampa river.

Water and boat activites for tourists have been suspended. The district collector of Thrissur has announced that sluice gates of the Peringalkuthu dam will be opened to release excess water into the Chalakudy river. Sluice gates of the Neyyar dam in Thiruvananthapuram have been opened by 240 cm, releasing water into the Neyyar river. Three shutters of the Parappar dam in Thenmala have been opened by 50 cm.

Road transport has been affected in districts like Pathanamthitta as reports of houses being submerged also comes in from Kollam and Kottayam.