Kerala rain toll rises to 35; IMD sounds yellow warning for 11 districts

We are closely monitoring the situation PINARAYI VIJAYAN, Kerala chief minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the rains eased up in the worst-hit districts of Kerala, many people were shocked to discover no traces of their houses remained. Even as the toll increased to 35 on Monday, there might still be stormy weather ahead in the southern state.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued yellow alerts in 11 districts for Wednesday, a warning for possible severe weather.

In Kokkayar, a rescue team retrieved the body of three-yearold Sachu Sahul, while a search continues for two missing persons. In Kottayam, the death toll rose to 15 after 12 people were killed in two different landslides at Kavali and Plapalli, while three were swept away by flood waters. The St Mary’s church in Kavali saw heart-rending scenes as six people from the same family, including three children, were buried on Monday.

A video clip of a house being washed away in the floods went viral on social media, and its owner, KP Jebi, a private bus driver, said his 25 years’ of savings vanished within seconds. He and his family members had a miraculous escape minutes before the house was swept away by the flash flood.

“I am speechless. I have to start from the scratch,” Jebi said.

The floods and landslides left many residents of Mundakayam area in Idukki homeless.

Although the downpour subsided on Monday, it is still raining in the catchment areas of many dams. Authorities issued red alerts in 10 dams. The sluice gates of Kakki and Pamba dams in Pathanamthitta were opened.

The pilgrimage to Sabarimala hill temple was halted due to a rise in water levels in Pamba and other rivers, said state revenue minister K Rajan after a review meeting in Pathanamthitta.

Sluice gates of Asia’s biggest arch dam Idukki will be opened at 11 am on Tuesday, water resource minister Roshy Augustine said, after water level in the reservoir rose to 2,398 feet on Monday. It is designed to hold 2,403 feet of water.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired an emergency meeting and constituted an expert committee to regulate the release of water from some of the dams. The panel includes weather experts, hydrologists, structural engineers and climatologists. “We are closely monitoring the situation,” Vijayan said after the meeting.