Kerala floods: Heavy rains wreak havoc in state; 26 dead, 24 dams opened

The death toll in rain-related incidents in Kerala reached 26 even as heavy rains left a trail of destruction across the southern state on Thursday.

Rescue operations being carried out following a landslide, triggered by heavy rains at Adimali, in Idukki, Kerala. Photo: PTI

Thiruvananthapuram: The death toll in rain-related incidents in Kerala reached 26 even as heavy rains left a trail of destruction across the southern state on Thursday. According to Kerala State Emergency Operations Centre, 26 people have lost their lives due to the heavy rains and landslides last night with 17 of them being killed in landslides in Idukki and Malappuram districts. Four teams of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 45 personnel each, left from Chennai to Kerala. An inter-ministerial Central team is visiting the flood-ravaged area and Army support is being mobilized from Bengaluru, the home ministry statement said in a statement. With water levels rising in various dams and reaching almost its maximum capacity, shutters of at least 24 reservoirs in the state have been opened to drain out excess water. For the first time in the last 26 years, a shutter of the Cheruthoni dam of the Idukki reservoir, considered the biggest arch dam in Asia, was opened by noon today with the water level touching 2,398.98 ft. The full reservoir level (FRL) of the dam is 2,403 ft. Four shutters of the Idamalayar dam in Kochi district were opened this morning and people living in the banks of Periyar river and its other tributaries were asked to be vigilant as the released water was likely to inundate low-lying areas. The government has asked tourists not to go to high range areas and dam sites. Talking to reporters after a review meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the flood situation in the state was "very grim" and it was for the first time in the history of the state that 22 dams have been opened at a time following the water level reaching its maximum capacity. The annual Nehru Trophy boat race, scheduled to be held at Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha district on August 11, has been postponed due to floods, he said. "There is a possibility of water level increasing in Kuttanad in the district in the event of the Kakki reservoir lifting shutters. So, the boat race has been postponed. The new date will be announced later," Vijayan said. He said an assistance of Army, Navy and Coast Guard has been sought and six more columns of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had been requested to be deployed in the flood-hit areas. A 24x7 monitoring cell has been set up at the Secretariat here to coordinate the relief works with various district collectors. Meanwhile, many places in Palakkad town were under flood water. High range roads in Idukki and Wayanad were damaged due to landslips and uprooting of trees, causing traffic blocks. Educational institutions have declared a holiday in Idukki, Kollam and other districts of the state. (With PTI inputs/ All Photos: PTI)