Though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) withdrew the red alert announced for various districts in the State on Friday considering slim chances of extremely heavy rain, heavy rain continued on Thursday night and Friday in various parts, especially in Central Kerala districts which threw life out of gear in high range areas.
The situation turned precarious when the intense showers coincided with the discharge of water from various reservoirs, especially from Poringalkuthu in Thrissur to Chalakudy river basin, one of the epic centres of the 2018 flood, putting the authorities on tenterhooks. According to meteorologists, the strength of the monsoon wind from the Arabian Sea continued throughout Thursday night and Friday, enhancing the precipitation.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel shifting people from flood-affected Budhanoor at Chengannur taluk in Alappuzha on Thursday.
The current precipitation will continue for two more days and weaken thereafter. But the low pressure that is expected to form over the Bay of Bengal will bring more rain in the ghat regions of Kerala and North Kerala districts by Sunday. A shear zone that runs over South Peninsular India in middle tropospheric levels and the monsoon trough that lies south of its normal position also triggered the current spell. An orange alert has been declared for five districts -Idukki, Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad, and Kasaragod – and a yellow alert for the remaining districts except Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam on Friday.
Considering the fluid situation, Minister for Water resources Roshy Augustine has written to his counterpart in Tamil Nadu S.Duraimurugan requesting steps to regulate water discharge from the Mullaperiyar dam following heavy rains in the catchment area. The letter also requested arrangements to inform the Government of Kerala about the opening of the dam shutters at least 24 hours in advance to ensure the safety of people in the downstream areas. A total of 32 houses have been destroyed and 237 houses have been damaged in the rain so far.
