Eight dead, 13 injured, 8 missing following rains: Kerala CM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Sunday said that eight people have died, an equal number are missing and 13 were injured in the previous day's heavy rains which caused property damage, landslides and waterlogging in many parts of the state.

In a statement issued by his office, Satheesan also said that 27 houses were completely destroyed, 196 homes were partially damaged and 5,792 people have been shifted to the 209 relief camps set up across the state.

The government will ensure assistance to the families of the deceased and those who have lost their homes and livelihoods, he further said.

The CM said that despite the reduction in rainfall since the previous day, people should be vigilant, especially in the hilly areas.

He also said that people's representatives and volunteers were actively involved in relief efforts.

Satheesan further said that he was communicating with Revenue Minister A P Anilkumar and other ministers assigned to various districts as well as the local administrations in connection with rain-related relief efforts.

The CM said that the subsiding or reduction in rainfall in many parts of the state was a relief and cleaning activities have started in the areas that were flooded or waterlogged.

He urged workers and activists of political parties and voluntary organisations to participate in the cleaning activities and assured all support of the government for the same.

Anilkumar, while speaking to reporters here, also said that following the heavy rains the previous day which caused widespread damage and waterlogging in the state, the situation was improving and was under control.

The minister said that damaged roads have been restored for travel in many places, while in some areas there were restrictions on vehicular movements.

He further said that in view of the heavy rainfall, alerts have already been issued for the day in many districts, and preparations to deal with them are in place.

According to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), the state received upto 320 mm of rainfall in some parts on Saturday, leading to waterlogging of roads and low-lying areas.

It said that the highest rainfall of 320 mm was at Ayyankunnu area of Kannur district, while many other areas of the northern Malabar region of the state received between 90 mm and 180 mm rains since 3 am on Saturday till midnight.

The rains had resulted in inundation of many low-lying and riverside parts of the state, especially in Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Wayanad, Kottayam, Kozhikode and Kannur districts, with water also seen entering homes, according to visuals on TV channels.

On Sunday morning, while the rains subsided, water was yet to recede from the flooded areas in many parts of the state, especially Ranni area of Pathanamthitta district and Kuttanad area in Alappuzha district, leading to people being seen travelling using small boats.

The water level of many dams also dropped due to the rains subsiding, leading to closing of the shutters which had been opened on the previous day.

However, the water level in some power generation dams in Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur districts continued to be in red alert status, according to KSDMA.

In Pathanamthitta, the rains caused damage to around 40 homes in 25 villages, most of them in Ranni and Konni areas of the district.

State Tourism Minister P C Vishnunadh said that following the heavy rains, an additional team of NDRF was deployed for rescue and relief efforts in the Pathanamthitta and Aranmula area and fire force units were sought from Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Ernakulam.

Besides that, fishermen and fishing boats were also deployed in case quick action was required, he said, adding that more attention was being given to Aranmula area as it takes more time for water to recede from there.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on August 1 issued an 'orange alert' in 12 districts of the state for Sunday.

The previous day's heavy rains in Kerala had triggered landslides, inundated low-lying areas, raised water levels in rivers and dams, and prompted authorities to launch large-scale rescue and evacuation operations in affected regions.

An orange alert means very heavy rainfall of 115 mm to 204 mm.