Days of relentless rain have battered Kerala, triggering floods and landslides that have claimed at least eight lives, left eight people missing and forced thousands to flee their homes.
Although the rain eased in some parts of the state on Sunday morning, floodwaters continued to inundate towns and villages, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning that another spell of heavy rain is on the way.
According to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), eight people have died in rain-related incidents, while search teams are continuing efforts to trace eight others who remain missing. Thirteen people have also been injured.
The state has shifted 5,792 people to 209 relief camps as the crisis unfolded. Twenty-seven houses have been completely destroyed, while 196 others have suffered partial damage.
The CMO said the government would provide financial assistance to the families of those killed and extend support to people whose homes and livelihoods have been damaged by the disaster.
Orange alert for 12 districts
The IMD has placed 12 districts under an orange alert for Sunday, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall and warning of flash floods, landslides, mudslides, waterlogging and overflowing rivers.
The districts on alert are Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod.
Authorities have urged residents in low-lying areas, riverbanks and landslide-prone regions to remain vigilant and move to safer places if evacuation orders are issued.
Floodwaters continue to disrupt daily life
The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said several parts of the state received intense rainfall on Saturday. Ayyankunnu in Kannur district recorded 320 mm of rain, the highest in Kerala, while many areas across north Kerala received between 90 mm and 180 mm within a few hours.
The downpour flooded roads, submerged homes and caused rivers to spill over in districts including Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Wayanad, Kottayam, Kozhikode and Kannur.
Even after the rain eased on Sunday morning, floodwaters remained in many places. In Ranni in Pathanamthitta district and Kuttanad in Alappuzha, residents were still using small boats to travel through submerged neighbourhoods.
Pathanamthitta was among the worst-hit districts, with around 40 houses damaged across 25 villages. Ranni and Konni reported the most extensive destruction.
Mullaperiyar level rises sharply
Heavy inflow also pushed up the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam.
Officials from the Water Resources Department said inflow into the reservoir surged from 454 cusecs to nearly 7,000 cusecs within a matter of hours. The reservoir level rose from 112.45 feet on July 31 to 113.70 feet by 6 am on August 1 before touching 116 feet by 6 pm the same day.
While the improvement in weather allowed authorities to close the shutters of some dams that had been opened earlier, the KSDMA said power generation reservoirs in Idukki, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur continued to remain under the red alert category.