Kerala rains: CM Pinarayi Vijayan calls emergency meeting as death toll rises to 27

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called an emergency meeting on Monday morning to take stock of rain-affected areas in the state as the death toll in floods and lanslides related incidents rose to 27. 

In Kerala's Kottayam district, 13 people have died in floods and landslide-related incidents while nine have died in Idukki. Kottayam and Idukki are the two worst-hit districts in the southern state. 

Meanwhile, the state has reported a number of drowning deaths, one from Kozhikode district, one each from Thrissur and Palakkad. Two more people died in Idukki's Kanjar on Saturday after their car was trapped in floodwaters.

Amid a rise in water levels in various dams due to heavy rains, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led state government has also issued alerts to the public that shutters of some dams will be raised that will result in rising of water levels of rivers in the south and central Kerala. 

In one of the highest arch dams of Asia, the Idukki reservoir, the water level increased to 2,396.96 feet on Monday. The dam's full reservoir level is 2,403 feet and an orange alert has been issued for the same. The water level is also rising at other dams, such as Sholayar, Pamba, Kakki, and Idamalayar.

State health minister Veena George said that an orange alert has been issued for the Pamba dam and the Kakki dam, which will be opened before afternoon on Monday.