Heavy rains lashed several parts of Kerala on Wednesday, inundating low-lying areas and affecting rail and road transport, as a red alert was sounded in the high range Idukki district by the IMD. Landslides in Kottayam disrupted rail traffic in the region.
The Kerala Disaster management authority said that with extremely heavy rains forecast, there were chances of landslides, earth slips, floods and other natural disasters and has asked the people to be extremely cautious.
The southern state had witnessed an unprecedented downpour in a century in 2018, leading to floods that consumed over 400 lives. This year, the south west monsoon had set in over Kerala on June 1, marking the commencement of the four-month long rainfall season.
Red alert, issued for Idukki by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), indicates there are chances of receiving over 20.5 cm rain within the next 24 hours in various parts of the district. Orange alert, indicating heavy to very heavy rains, has been issued for Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad districts for Wednesday. Several parts of the state have been receiving heavy rains, particularly Ernakulam and Kottayam districts, since last night.
The busy Jos junction, MG road, Panampilly nagar, Palarivattom and other mainroads in Kochi are all waterlogged. Water entered over 80 homes in the city. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus terminus in the city was also inundated.
The rain fury was also severe in Kochi's neighbouring Kottayam, where landslides affected train services between the district and Chingavanam. Earth and boulders fell onto the railway track this morning affecting train services between Kottayam and Ernakulam stations, railway sources said.
The 06301 Venad special train from Thiruvananthapuram had been terminated at Changanassery station and the pairing train (06302) from Ernakulam will start from Changanassery, the sources told PTI.
The Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur Jan Shatabdi express via Kottayam has been diverted via Alappuzha. According to the weather report at 0830 hrs this morning, rains recorded in various places in cm are Kottayam 20, Vaikom 19, Chertala 18, Ernakulam South 13, Kochi airport 15.42, and Thiruvananthapuram city 4.82.
With wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph likely to prevail along and off Kerala coast, fishermen have been asked not to put out to sea. Meanwhile, one fisherman was rescued after 14 hours and search is continuing for another after the two went missing since last evening from Tirur in Malappuram.
Kerala had been devastated by the worst floods in the last 100 years during August 2018 that claimed over 400 lives and razed several houses, while last year the state's northern parts bore the brunt of the monsoon fury as heavy rains and widespread landslides wreaked havoc, leaving over 120 dead.
A large number of people including women and children had lost their lives at Kavalapara in Malappuram and Puthumala in Wayanad alone when massive landslides rocked the places.