Kerala rains: Educational institutions shut in 8 districts today; IMD issues red alert in 7 districts
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a red alert in 7 districts of the state for today. The red alert has been issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Idukki districts. IMD also issued a Red alert in 11 districts and Orange for 2 districts of the state for August 3. For August 4, it has issued a red alert for 9 districts and Orange for 3 districts of the state.
Kerala government has declared a holiday for educational institutions in seven districts on Tuesday (August 2) in view of the incessant rain in the State. The eight districts are Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Alappuzha, Kollam, Kottayam and Kannur.
Meanwhile, as heavy rains continue to lash Kerala, six lives have been claimed to date.
The members of a family died when their car fell into a canal in Kallupallam, Thiruvalla. The car reportedly fell into the canal while trying to overtake a private bus. The accident took place at 7 am on Monday.
In yet another tragic incident, four tourists from Tamil Nadu got stuck in a torrent following heavy rains at Achankovil river in the Kollam district, after which one person died while the three others survived. After a landslide occurred in Munnilav village in Meenachil taluk of the Kottayam district, Munnilav town was waterlogged and one person went missing in the landslide and was later rescued.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Monday that responding to climate change is challenging but its impact can be minimized with increased efforts in terms of planning, mitigation, and adaptation measures.
The Chief Minister said a State Emergency Operations Centre of the Disaster Management Authority has been set up and control rooms would be opened in all districts and taluks.
Besides, four teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Idukki, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Thrissur districts, and another four teams would shortly arrive in the State and be deployed in Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kollam and Malappuram districts, he said.