Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said that 42 people have died due to rain and landslides and six people are still missing. He said 304 relief centres have been opened across the state and financial assistance will be provided to those affected by the rains.
Vijayan also said that 217 houses were completely destroyed in the rains and landslides. He further added that 3,851 families were shifted to rehabilitation camps.
Kerala has been hit by heavy rain over the past week and several parts of Kerala have been affected by floods. The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, and Idukki districts. Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur have also been issued orange alerts by the IMD.
“The India Meteorological Department (IMD), has sounded an orange alert for Kottayam Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, and other districts. Other districts that have been issued with an orange alert include Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts,” the IMD said.
The state government issued a high alert for places falling on the banks of the Periyar river as water released from the Idukki dam reached flood-prone areas of Aluva in Kochi earlier on Wednesday, news agency PTI reported. However, Kerala electricity minister K Krishnankutty said on Tuesday that there was no reason to be concerned about the increase in the water level of the Periyar river. He added that the electricity board suffered losses worth more than ₹18.24 crore due to the incessant rains.
Kerala has 11 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams deployed to help with rescue operations. Vijayan said that the Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Navy have also been roped in to help with rescue operations.
