Water level rises in rivers, dams as heavy rain pours in parts of Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram | As heavy rains and strong winds continued in parts of Kerala, water levels of various rivers and dams rose, homes were damaged by uprooted trees and power supply was disrupted in many areas of the state on Sunday.

As the rains increased in parts of the state, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an 'orange alert' in three districts -- Idukki, Kannur and Kasaragod -- of the state for the day.

It also issued a 'yellow alert' in six other districts.

An 'orange alert' denotes "very heavy" rainfall of 11 to 20 cm, while a 'yellow alert' signals "heavy rain" between 6 and 11 cm.

Meanwhile, state Revenue Minister K Rajan said that though there was heavy rainfall and strong winds in Kerala during the last few days, causing minor landslides and uprooting of trees in various parts of the state, the intensity of rains is expected to reduce from Sunday onwards.

"The strong winds might persist for a couple more days," he added.

In Wayanad district, shutters of the Banasura Sagar dam were opened around 85 cm in the morning to release around 100 cusecs (Cubic feet per second) of water in view of heavy rains in its catchment area, the district administration said.

It warned people living on the banks of the river downstream and other low-lying areas to be cautious.

In Pathanamthitta district, all three shutters of the Moozhiyar reservoir were opened to release water as its levels rose above the 'red alert' mark of 190 meters.

The rains and strong winds in the south Kerala district damaged more than 100 houses, leading to several families being moved to relief camps.

Relief camps were also opened in Wayanad district and around 30 families have been relocated there, the district administration said.

The Irrigation Design and Research Board (IDRB) issued 'flood warning alerts' in respect of Manimala, Pamba and Achankovil rivers in Pathanamthitta, Muvattupuzha, Kaliyar and Periyar in Ernakulam, Pallikkal in Kollam and Vamanapuram in Thiruvananthapuram district of the state.

Periyar , Aluva Bharathappuzha

It also issued 'alerts' with regard to Bharathappuzha and Chalakudy rivers in Thrissur, Thodupuzha in Idukki, Bhavani in Palakkad, Korappuzha in Kozhikode, Valapattanam in Kannur and Kabani in Wayanad district of Kerala.

It warned people living on the banks of these rivers to be vigilant and be prepared to move to safer places if required.

The IMD also warned fishermen against carrying out fishing activities along the Kerala-Lakshadweep coasts from July 27 to July 29 and along the Karnataka coast from July 27 to July 31 in view of bad weather and strong winds.

A similar warning to fishermen was issued by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in view of the likelihood of sea surges and high waves of 2.9 to 3.2 meters along the Kannur-Kasaragod coast from 5.30 pm on July 27 to 2.30 am on July 28.