Late monsoon burst triggers torrential rain in Kerala

In a late burst of the south-west monsoon, heavy rains lashed many parts of Kerala on Sunday. A seven-year-old girl, Athira, was killed in a landslip following heavy rains in Attappady in Palakkad district.

Weathermen have predicted more rains over the next 48 hours. A mid-day bulletin from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) termed as “vigorous” the monsoon’s impact over Saurashtra and Kutch, coastal Karnataka and Kerala.

The Meteorological Centre in Thiruvananthapuram predicted thunder-showers at most places in the state till September 21.

In Attappady, four houses were destroyed in landslips and some of the tribal hamlets were left isolated in the rains.

Uprooted trees caused disruptions on the main road from Palakkad to Coimbatore. The district administration opened a control room to address contingency calls.

Parts of the northern districts of Malappuram, Wayanad and Kozhikode reported heavy rainfall for the second consecutive day.

Tahsildars in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Palakkad, Idukki, Kottayam and Alappuzha districts were directed to be present at taluk control rooms on Sunday night. A holiday has been declared for educational institutions in Idukki and Ernakulam districts on Monday.

At Chingavanam in the central district of Kottayam, a minor landslip near a railway track disrupted train movement for at least two hours. On Sunday, Mannarkad in Palakkad district recorded “extremely heavy” rainfall of 23 cm. Heavy to very heavy rainfall was reported in most of the districts. Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi received steady rains since late on Saturday.

Some of the rivers are in spate and reservoir levels have reported an increase. Shutters were opened in at least six dams. Crop damage was also reported in parts of the northern districts.

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority said the monsoon was gaining strength and the state’s hilly regions had reached complete soil saturation, resulting in a higher probability of landslides and floods.

Between June 1 and September 13, the state has received 1531.5 mm rainfall, at a 19% deficiency from the long period average. Significantly, rainfall in nine of the state’s 14 districts has reached “normal” levels when compared to the LPA; five of them reported a deficiency of less than 15%, as on September 13.