Widespread rains, winds affect life in Kerala; red alert in five districts

Thiruvananthapuram | Widespread rains and gusty winds threw life out of gear in many parts of Kerala, especially in the high ranges and coastal areas of the state on Saturday.

Uprooting of trees, inundation, washing away of roads and damage to houses were reported from across the state. Trees falling were mainly reported in high range areas of northern districts due to incessant rains since last night, local people said.

Several houses were damaged in the coastal hamlet of Vettukadu here following high tidal waves and sea erosion accompanied by rains and winds.

As safety compound walls were absent in many places, fishermen families could be seen placing sacks filled with sand to check sea erosion.

A house was damaged in the coastal hamlet of Perumathura near here after its tin roof was blown away following strong winds, local people complained.

In northern Kozhikode district, a family faced difficulty in conducting the funeral of a 70-year-old man who died last night in Arayadathupalam, due to waterlogging.

In the television visuals, it could be seen that the family members carrying the body through the muddy waters after holding a piece of tin sheet over it.

Meanwhile, an old building collapsed in Mankavu in the district in the morning but no one suffered any injury, local people said.

As there is no let up in the rains, Kozhikode district authorities banned people from entering waterbodies, including waterfall areas. Sand mining and quarry operations have also been ordered to be stopped there, authorities said.

In neighbouring Wayanad, the district collector announced a holiday for all tuition centres and madrassas on Sunday due to heavy rain alerts.

Incessant rains impacted normal life in Alappuzha district also where a portion of an under-construction national highway was washed away in Kayamkulam. It largely affected the movement of traffic in the area, local residents complained.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday predicted extremely heavy rainfall in five districts of the state--Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram and sounded a red alert there.

Districts of Palakkad, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta were placed under an orange alert while a yellow alert was issued in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha, as per the latest update of the IMD.

A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm and a yellow alert predicts heavy rainfall between 6 cm to 11 cm.

Two, three-wheelers barred from NH-66 stretch in Mangaluru amid heavy rains

Mangaluru (Karnataka) | Amid relentless rainfall across coastal Karnataka, district highway authorities have restricted the movement of two and three-wheelers along a crucial stretch of National Highway-66 between Suratkal and Nantoor Junction in Dakshina Kannada district, citing safety concerns.

In an official notification, the highway administration invoked Section 31 of the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002, to divert two- and three-wheelers onto designated service roads for the ongoing monsoon period, which is expected to last until September 2025.

Officials said that continous rain since last month has damaged portions of NH-66, rendering it unsafe for smaller vehicles. Additionally, a maximum speed limit of 50 km/h has been enforced along the stretch to minimise accidents.

All highway users have been advised to adhere strictly to the speed limit and obey traffic diversion signs during the monsoon.