22 dead as heavy rains lash Kerala, Red Alert issued for Idukki Reservoir, Navy launches 'Operation Madad'
At least 22 people have died in Kerala due to heavy rains and landslides, the Home Ministry said today.
According to a home ministry spokesperson, of the total deaths, 11 people died in Idukki district, five in Malappuram district, three in Wayanad, two in Kannur and one in Kozhikode.
Meanwhile, the Kerala state electricity board has issued third red alert in Idukki reservoir. The dam will be opened tomorrow morning to maintain the water level. At 4 pm today, the water level was 2399.56 ft.
Four teams of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 45 personnel each, have left Chennai for Kerala to assist the rescue and relief operations.
An Inter-Ministerial Central Team of the central government is also visiting flood-affected areas in Kerala, while Army troops are being mobilised from Bengaluru for deployment in the rain-battered southern state.
The Indian Navy has launched ‘Operation Madad’ for evacuating people from Wayanad. In Malappuram, entire road washed away due to flash floods. The video of the incident has gone viral.
With water levels rising in various dams and reaching almost their maximum capacity, shutters of at least 22 reservoirs in Kerala have been opened to drain out excess water.
Earlier in the day, arrival operations at the Cochin International Airport Limited resumed nearly two hours after it was suspended in view of possible inundation in the airport area following a rising water level in the Periyar river.
The CIAL is situated close to the river. "As the situation is improved we are resuming all operations from 3.05 pm today," a CIAL spokesperson had said. The CIAL had earlier stopped arrival operations from 1.10 pm, as a precautionary measure.
The decision to resume arrival operations was taken after the situation was reviewed by Ernakulam District Collector and top officials of the airport management, the spokesperson said.
Earlier, the Ernakulam district administration conducted a review of the situation at the airport after the water level in a canal near it started rising.
The decision to suspend the arrival operation was taken after four shutters of the Idamalayar dam were opened this morning to release excess water.
One shutter of the Idukki dam was also partially opened as a trial run.
The opening of the dam shutters had resulted in an increase in the water level in the Periyar river.
Heavy rains have been lashing several parts of Kerala for the past few days, leading to a copious inflow into the state's reservoirs.
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