Torrential rains and flashfloods continue to play havoc in several districts of Kerala even as over 30,000 people have been shifted to relief camps so far. At least 39 people have been killed in rain related incidents in the state since August 8.
Over 20,000 houses have been damaged completely while around 10,000 km of roads were destroyed. Districts like Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur, Kasaragod, Palakkad and Idukki have been receiving heavy rains since Monday. A total of 444 villages were declared flood hit by the state government. Over 215 landslides were reported from various districts.
A red alert has been issued in Idukki district as water level in Mullaperiyar dam has touched 136.10 feet against its maximum level of 142 feet. Tamil Nadu has been drawing water at 2,200 cubic feet from the dam while the inflow was 4,419 cubic feet on Tuesday.
The 123-year-old dam has been a bone of contention between Kerala and Tamil Nadu with the former insisting on building a new dam citing its 'decaying' condition.
Pilgrimage to Sabarimala, the famous hill shrine in Pathanamthitta district, was badly affected as the rain-fed Pampa rose menacingly.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the shrine, the district authorities and police have issued alerts to devotees and decided to stop them at various points till the water receded.
Weathermen have warned of heavy rains in some places in the state till August 18.
A flooded road at Engapuzha in Kozhikode district | Sajish P. Shankar
No Onam celebrations
The Kerala government has decided to do away with annual 'Onam' celebrations being organised by the state and to utilise the amount for relief measures, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Governor P. Sathasivam also decided to cancel the reception to be hosted by him on Wednesday as part of the Independence Day celebrations due to floods in the state.
The chief minister has requested government and PSU employees to donate two days' salary for the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund.
As per the preliminary estimate, Kerala suffered a loss of Rs 8,316 crore in the heavy rains, which were lashing the state since August 8.
With inputs from agencies