The monsoon has unleashed its fury on Kottayam, with incessant rain accompanied by squally winds leaving its rivers in spate, triggering landslips and affecting normal life.
As per initial reports, the rain that began to lash the district non-stop since Wednesday evening has damaged a few houses, besides causing crop loss and uprooting trees at many locations. In view of the rain causing landslips, traffic to the high-range regions, including the Kottayam-Kumily route, has come to a halt.
The low-lying areas, including Upper Kuttanad and all major causeways across the Meenachil, have been inundated, triggering fears of a flood, like last year. Power supply remains disrupted in many areas as the strong winds brought down many trees, damaging electricity poles and parked vehicles.
In view of the intense rainfall, Collector P.K Sudheer Babu declared Thursday a holiday for all educational institutions in the district. The sudden announcement at 8.05 in the morning, caught students and their parents unawares as many of them came to know about it only after reaching the school.