Rescue and rehabilitation efforts continue for the third day along many parts of Kerala as a heavy rainfall warning and tidal flooding alert looks set to compound the worsening flood situation in the State.
The State Disaster Management Authority issued a red alert for eight districts following a heavy rainfall warning by the weather office. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services has also issued a tidal flooding alert for Kerala from August 11 to 15.
Idamalayar water level below FRL
For the first time since all its four shutters were opened on Thursday morning, the water level in Idamalayar dam dropped below the Full Reservoir Limit of 169 metres enabling the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to close two shutters and reduce the discharge of water through spillway to 200 cubic metres per second (cumecs).
he water level in the dam stood at 168.96 metres on Saturday at 6 a.m. Out of the four shutters, only the second and third one has been kept open by one metre each while the first and fourth shutters has been closed reducing the spillway discharge by 200 cumecs. This was in addition to the diversion of 66 cumecs of water to the power house for power generation thus taking the total discharge from the dam to 266 cumecs.
Cashing in on the calamity at Aluva Manappuram
Laminated images of the submerged Aluva Siva Temple on sale at temple premises | Photo Credit: H. Vibhu
Even a calamity is an opportunity for the business-minded, as was proved by some along the submerged Aluva Manappuram on the banks of Periyar river in Aluva, Kerala.
People who came into offer ‘vavu bali’ on Saturday morning were welcomed by neatly arranged rows of laminated copies of a picture of the Aluva Siva temple taken when it was completely submerged on first day of the flooding. The photos were for sale at the rate of ₹30 a copy.
CM and team survey affected areas
Early today, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala and Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan have set out from the State capital to survey the flood-ravaged parts of the State. The team were to conduct aerial survey of the entire eastern stretch of the State and will visit the worst-hit areas in Idukki, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Ernakulam.
However, the team was unable to land in Idukki due to the weather conditions. "Bad weather at the decided landing spot near Kattappana in Idukki has forced them to abandon landing," said the CM's office on Twitter. "Now the team is heading towards Wayanad."
The team is expected to land in the campus of the St. Mary's College, Sulthan Bathery around 10.30 a.m.
Urge every Congress worker to step up: Rahul Gandhi
Congress president Rahul Gandhi conveyed his thoughts and prayers to the people of Kerala and urged the Congress workers to help those in need.
"Unprecedented rainfall has created havoc in Kerala, destroying property & forcing thousands to abandon their homes," he wrote on Twitter. "I urge each and every Congres worker in Kerala to step up & help those in need. My prayers & thoughts are with the people of Kerala in this difficult time," he added.