Thiruvananthapuram/Guwahati: At least 18 persons were killed in landslides due to heavy rains in Kerala. Rescue workers today recovered 15 bodies after landslides hit various places of Idukki and Kottayam districts, State Revenue Minister K Rajan told a news agency. He said while 12 dead bodies were recovered from Koottickal in Kottayam, one body was recovered from Peerumedu. Two more bodies were recovered yesterday from Kanjar in Idukki district.
A couple of hilly villages – Koottikkal in Kottayam and Peruvanthanam in Idukki, have been severely affected by landslides.
The India Meterological Department (IMD) has issued ‘Red Alert’ for five districts – Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, and Thrissur. Indian Army, Air Force and Navy are on standby in the State.
IMD thought stated today that yesterday’s Low pressure area over southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Kerala has become less Marked and now seen as a trough from south Interior Karnataka to south Tamilnadu at lower levels. It warned that a fresh spell of easterly wave is likely to affect south Peninsular India from October 20, and cause fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls likely over Kerala and
Mahe, South Interior Karnataka and Tamilnadu Puducherry and Karaikal from October 20, and likely to continue for subsequent 3-4 days.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and discussed the situation in the wake of heavy rains and landslides in Kerala. The Prime Minister has also expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to heavy rains and landslides in Kerala. He said authorities were working on the ground to assist the injured and affected. “It is saddening that some people have lost their lives due to heavy rains and landslides in Kerala. Condolences to the bereaved families,” Modi tweeted.
IMD forecasts fairly wide spread to wide spread light to moderate rainfall with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely over Uttarakhand, west Uttar Pradesh during the next two days, and in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chandigarh and East Uttar Pradesh tomorrow.
Meanwhile, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy to very heavy rains are very likely to occur over northeast region from October 18, 2021 onwards, the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, Guwahati warned here today. It has issued a yellow alert for the regions from tomorrow until October 21, 2021.
Heavy rains imply between 64.5 and 115.5 mm/day, while very heavy rain: 115.6-204.4 mm/day.
On the current meteorological condition, it stated that moisture incursion is very likely to occur due to strong lower level southerly/ southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal to northeast India during October 18-21, 2021.
Day time maximum temperature is very likely to decrease over the north eastern States from tomorrow onwards due to the expected rainfall activity.
The Regional Weather Forecasting Centre warned of the following probabiliteis due to heavy rainfall in the region:
- Occasional reduction in visibility due to heavy rainfall
- Water logging in low lying areas
- Localized landslide/landslips
- Possibilities of flash floods
- Temporary disruption of traffic due to water logging in roads leading to increased travel time
- Damage to kutcha roads due to very heavy rainfall
- Possibilities of damage to vulnerable structures due to very heavy rainfall
- Lightning may injure people and cattle at open place
– global bihari bureau
