Thiruvananthapuram | Incessant monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc in Kerala on Monday, disrupting normal life, including road and rail traffic.
Northern districts bore the brunt of the rainfall, witnessing rising water levels in rivers and other waterbodies.
Several residents were forced to evacuate to relief camps in districts, including Kannur and Kasaragod, as flood water entered their homes.
In Kannur, people have been seen wading through knee-deep water to reach safer places since Sunday evening.
"Children and elderly people were already shifted to relatives' houses. We are now moving to a relief camp opened nearby," a resident said.
He lamented that frequent waterlogging following rains has made their lives miserable, preventing children from attending school and adults from going to work.
In the Kakkad area of Kannur, an arterial road was completely submerged, bringing traffic to a standstill.
Commuters, unaware of the situation, struggled to push their two-wheelers through knee-deep water on the road.
In Kannur, at least four persons of a family sustained minor injuries after an uprooted coconut tree fell upon their house in Panniyur village in Kannur district. They were soon rushed to a nearby hospital and their injuries were not serious, officials said.
The incidents of the development of cracks in houses and the collapsing of compound walls were also reported in the district, they added.
In Kasaragod, major rivers including Thejaswini Puzha are in spate, prompting authorities to issue warnings against venturing into waterbodies.
At least 10 families were moved to relief camps in the Vellarikund area in the district, authorities said.
In view of the concerns of mudslides, the Kasaragod Disaster Management Authority on Monday decided to temporarily ban the vehicle traffic through the National Highway between Cherkala and Bevinje areas.
Several minor incidents of landslide were reported in the area, and the vehicle traffic was stopped considering the heavy rain alert and the inspection carried out there, an official statement said.
In the southern district of Pathanamthitta, a man sustained injuries after a tree uprooted by heavy rains and gusty winds fell on his house in Malayalapuzha on Sunday evening.
Heavy rainfall caused significant delays in rail traffic across the state.
According to authorities, several trains, including Venad and Malabar Expresses and passenger trains, ran late behind schedule.
As the heavy rain situation continues to batter the state, Kerala Minister for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe O R Kelu gave directions to the officials concerned to ensure adequate facilities in tribal hamlets in interior areas.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert in northern districts of Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod. An orange alert was sounded in Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad for the day, it said.
Mangaluru/Udupi | Relentless monsoon rains disrupted life in coastal, central and northern districts of Karnataka.
A landslide on National Highway 169 (NH-169) and severe urban flooding in Mangaluru underscore the state's infrastructure vulnerabilities, while swollen rivers and crop damage signal a broader crisis, officials said on Monday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted continued heavy rainfall, raising concerns about long-term preparedness.
According to officials in Dakshina Kannada, a landslide at Kettikallu in Belthangady taluk blocked NH-169, a vital route connecting Mangaluru to interior Karnataka, on June 14.
No casualties occurred, and authorities are clearing debris, but the incident highlights recurring issues on this highway, previously hit by landslips. Local voices criticised "unscientific" road construction, exacerbating landslide risks.
Mangaluru's urban areas, including Pumpwell, Bikarnakatte, Kaikamba, and Kankanady, faced severe waterlogging after continuous rainfall. Poor stormwater drainage caused streets to overflow, with water inundating roads, homes, and businesses.
Residents, frustrated by the Mangaluru City Corporation's inaction, demanded drain desilting and effective rainwater channels. Civic workers have been deployed, but emergency measures fall short.
The IMD predicted heavy to very heavy rain with winds of 40-50 kmph in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada until June 17, with isolated extremely heavy rainfall possible. An orange alert was issued for these districts, alongside Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, and Kodagu, while Raichur and Yadgir face thunderstorm risks.
Significant rainfall --170 mm in Mangaluru and 210 mm in Panambur in 24 hours ending June 15--disrupted normal life.
In Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru, minor landslides and tree falls occurred near Madikeri and Sringeri and experienced localised flooding, damaging crops and roads. In Shivamogga, the Tunga river flowed above normal levels, prompting vigilance along its banks.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) noted normal monsoon conditions but warned of continued heavy rain, aligning with IMD's prediction of 110 per cent above-average rainfall for June 2025.
Rivers across Karnataka's coastal and Malnad regions, including Tunga, Nethravati, Chakra, Maani, Kali, and Phalguni, are nearing their brim, an unusual phenomenon for early June, according to rain observers.
The IMD has predicted 110 per cent of normal rainfall this monsoon, excluding pre-monsoon showers. The South-Western monsoon, starting June 8, saw rivers swell dramatically within eight days (ending June 15, 7 pm). This intensity, rare for a typical monsoon, signals heightened flood risks.
State disaster management officials have activated control rooms and deployed National and State Disaster Response Force teams across affected districts, including Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Kodagu.
Schools and Anganwadis in Udupi and Kodagu were closed on June 13 and will remain shut till 17. Authorities urged residents to avoid waterlogged and landslide-prone areas.