At least 19 people have died in heavy rains and floods in Kerala over the last five days since 31 July. Nearly 32 properties have been completely ravaged while 232 have been partially damaged, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said.
All districts in Kerala are on high alert owing to the torrential rains. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked citizens to be vigilant and requested those living in vulnerable areas to move to safer locations. The relentless rains in the state have raised fears of a repetition of the severe rains and flash floods of 2018.
Meanwhile, in Kashmir's Kathua district, two people died and three were injured in a landslide on Friday.
High Alerts Issued Across State; Schools and Colleges Shut
The met department has issued an orange alert in eight districts in the northern part of Kerala for Friday, 5 August.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued the alert for Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod in Kerala.
Thousands of residents in central and north Kerala districts were evacuated on Thursday after monsoon rains caused floodwater to rise in various rivers, forcing authorities to open shutters of dams to manage the water level in reservoirs.
A holiday has been declared for schools and educational institutions in various districts of the state in view of the rains.
A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rains of 6 cm to 20 cm. A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.
NDRF Team on Standby
Meanwhile, Minister for Water Resources in Kerala Roshy Augustine told the media that three shutters of the Mullaperiyar reservoir would be opened at 11.30 am on Friday to release the excess water.
Revenue Minister K Rajan said the water level at the Chalakudy river in Thrissur continued to be the same as on Thursday, maintained at 7.27 metres for the past few hours.
"The IMD has predicted that the rains will now move to southern Karnataka. Today, the rain alerts are in northern districts of Kerala. Yesterday, Idukki district received the most rain."K Rajan, State Revenue Minister, Kerala
The revenue minister also said that the NDRF team, which has reached the Idukki district, was on standby near the Mullaperiyar region.
"Yesterday, Kerala received rainfall between 4-11 cm and it was a recent record," Rajan said.
Augustine said the three shutters of Mullaperiyar reservoir would be opened by 30 cm each and 534 cusecs of water would be released. He asked those residing along the banks of Periyar to remain cautious.
Two Die in a Landslide in Kashmir Amid Rains
Two people died when the shed of a poultry farm collapsed due to a landslide caused by heavy rains in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district on Friday, officials said. The incident happened in the Keerian Gandyal area of the district and three people were reportedly buried under the shed.
While two of them died, the injured person was shifted to a hospital in Pathankot.
Amarnath Yatra Pilgrims Stranded
A few hundred vehicles, including those carrying a batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, were stranded on a highway in Kashmir. Heavy rains triggered the shooting of stones at Mehaar and Cafeteria Morh in Ramban, blocking the highway, the officials said.
A convoy of 174 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims has been halted at Chanderkoot Yatra Niwas till clearance of the road, they said.
Vehicular traffic on the historic Mughal Road in Poonch was suspended on Friday due to a landslide triggered by heavy rains, according to the officials.
J&K National Highway Closed, Due To Landslide and Rains
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and Mughal Road were closed for vehicular traffic due to landslides and shooting stones triggered by heavy rain at several places in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban and Poonch districts on Friday, officials said.
The road, which connects Poonch and Rajouri districts in Jammu region with Shopian in South Kashmi, is an alternative route to the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
The restoration work of the twin roads to Kashmir is in progress, they said.
People are advised not to travel on Jammu-Srinagar Highway without confirmation from traffic authorities, the officials added.
(This story contains inputs from PTI.)
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