After several continous days of rain, floods and landslips, Kerala got a breather on Saturday, with a respite from rain and falling water levels in major dams.
However, the State remained on alert, with over 60,000 persons displaced in four districts.
The Met Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in most places in Idukki, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Wayanad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts over the next three days, putting them on ‘red alert.’
Also read: Here’s how Twitter can save you from fake news about the floods
Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has urged PM Narendra Modi to release sufficient funds to the Kerala government to help respond to the flood crisis and restore critical infrastructure in the State.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Gandhi said the torrential rain, floods and wide-scale landslips have left behind a trail of destruction across the State.
Read our previous days' coverage here, here and here.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to reach Kochi soon as part of his visit to assess the flood situation in Kerala.
The minister is expected to view the rain-induced damage at near Idukki dam Thadiyampad and Adimali areas of Idukki district and also some places in Ernakulam district.
He will meet the State Chief Minister and senior officials at the Cochin International Airport later in the evening.
Rain continues in Idukki, Wayanad
Water level in the Idukki hydel reservoir has dropped below the 2,400 ft. mark, but the situation in large parts of Idukki remains grim with heavy displacement of people and continuing rains.
Latest updates on the storage level in the key dams of the Idukki hydel reservoir system showed that the water level in the Idukki dam has fallen to 2399.16 ft. and that in the Idamalayar dam, it has dropped to 168.90 metres against the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 169 metres. The water level in the Mullaiperiyar dam is 135.20 ft. The shutters of the Banasurasagar dam has been raised from 80 cm to 90 cm to ease the pressure of water following heavy rains in Wayanad district.