Kerala Floods: 8 Dead And 20 People Missing As Rain Batters State, Heavy Downpour Expected In Next 24 Hours

Heavy rains have currently battered Kerala, that has claimed five lives till now with 20 people reported missing at the moment. Several districts in the Southern and Central parts of the cities have witnessed flash floods and landslides in many areas. It has been suggested that the state has received 166% excess rain from October 7 to 13, resulting in 'mini-cloud burst event'. Idukki and Kottayam districts are the worst-affected in the state.

Red And Orange Alerts Issued

According to The Times of India, red alert was issued in five districts of the state on Saturday, October 16, such as Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Pathanamthitta. Other districts like Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad had orange alerts issued in them as the weather got worse. In Ernakulam, the district disaster management teams were sent to warn the public and take stock of the situation.

The Indian Meteorological Department claims that more is yet to come. "The low pressure area over Southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Kerala has become less marked. There is a possibility of light to moderate rainfall at many places with only isolated heavy rainfall over the state during the next 24 hours and further decrease thereafter," ANI's tweet said.

The flash floods caused a lot of destruction in its wake. Several houses are now waterlogged due to the incessant rains in many parts of the state. In Malappuram, a banana plantation was destroyed by the downpour.

Weather experts stated that Peermade in Idukki district recorded highest rainfall yesterday (24 cm), followed by Cheruthoni, Chalakudy and Poonjar at 14 cm, Thodupuzha at 13 cm and Seethathode at 12 cm.

Army And Air Force Deployed, NDRF At Work

On the request of the state government, the Indian Army and Air Force have been deployed to assist the civil administration in the rescue operation. The Southern Naval Command in Kochi was asked to airlift families from flood-affected areas in Kottayam district.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are at work as 11 teams are currently at the are doing rescue work. One team will be deployed in districts like Malappuram, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Pathanamthitta, Palakkad, Kottayam, Kannur and Kollam, where as two teams are situated in Idukki.

Looking at the grave situation currently, the Travancore Devaswom Board requested the Lord Ayyappa devotees to avoid visiting the Sabarimala temple on October 17 and 18, in view of the water level rise in the Pampa river that could prove dangerous. The tourist destinations in Thrissur have been closed down owing to the weather.

Also Read: Unhappy With The India Meteorological Department, Kerala Switches To Private Firms For Accurate Weather Updates