Kerala weather alert: Rainfall to continue; holiday declared for schools in 9 districts

Kerala was battered by heavy rainfall on Sunday, causing widespread damage. The authorities have declared a holiday for educational institutions in 9 districts as houses got inundated, low lying areas got flooded, and agricultural lands ruined. 

According to the India Meteorological Department, “Moderate spell of rainfall likely to continue over Kerala, coastal Maharashtra including Mumbai, south Jharkhand, north Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya during next 3 hours.” 

Meanwhile, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Pathanamthitta, Kannur, Kasaragod, Thrissur, Wayanad, Kottayam and Idukki districts have asked its educational institutions to close. Following the heavy spell on Sunday, a large number of houses and vehicles were damaged. 

In Northern Palakkad district, at least 40 houses were partially damaged and four completely destroyed, while in Thrissur, 30 houses were flooded. In Wayanad, several families were moved to safer locations, as houses got inundated. A 28-member NDRF team has reached Wayanad. 

In Idukki, acres of agricultural land, including rubber plantations, were destroyed. 

The IMD had also put five northern districts – Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod – under a red alert for the day. An orange alert was issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Palakkad districts.

Water levels in the Punnapuzha River, flowing through the Chooralmala-Mundakkai region in Wayanad, and the Korapuzha River in Kozhikode were steadily rising.