Thiruvananthapuram: After continuous downpours in Kerala on Sunday and Monday, the rain subsided slightly on Tuesday, but devastation was writ large across the state and thousands were shifted to shelters in different districts.
Over 20,000 people were estimated to have been moved to shelters in different parts of the state even as several big towns continued to be marooned. Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki districts were particularly hard hit, with towns including Kottayam, Pala, Vaiakom and Poonjar being flooded.
In Alappzuha district, Indian Navy personnel rescued the crew of a barge that was swept by tidal waves to the Neerkunnam coast near Alappuzha. The crew members were rescued from the barge using a helicopter. Local reports said the tug barge was from Al Fattan dock in the Middle East. Police said the coast guard had been alerted on the incident. Early reports indicate that the barge was on its way to Abu Dhabi from Indonesia.
The death toll in the rains during the past three days in Kerala has been placed at 12. Educational institutions in multiple districts remained closed on Tuesday, and a large number of shops and other establishments also had their shutters down.
Bus services were suspended in different parts owing to water logging. Two lives were lost on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Eruthody Narayanan, 68 who was electrocuted in Malappuram, and Ambalaveettil Deepu, 28 whose body was recovered from the Azhutha river near Mundakayam in Kottayam district.
One consolation for the state was a record water level in its biggest dam, Idukki, where the water level of 2,375 feet is the highest since 1985. The dam now holds 66 per cent of its water capacity, which promises good prospects for the state’s hydel power generation capacity.
Heavy rains are forecasted in Kerala until Friday.