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Heavy rains batter Kerala; red alert in 5 districtsPeople in flooded areas and those living near rivers were shifted to safe locations
Arjun Raghunath
DHNS
Last Updated IST
Commuters wade through a waterlogged road during heavy rain in Kozhikode. Credit: PTI Photo
Commuters wade through a waterlogged road during heavy rain in Kozhikode. Credit: PTI Photo

Several parts of Kerala have been witnessing heavy rains since the early hours of Saturday. So far, no casualties were reported.

The India Meteorological Department sounded a red alert in five districts -- Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki and Thrissur.

Orange alert was sounded in seven other districts.

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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened an emergency meeting to review the situation. The water level of many dams and reservoirs were being constantly monitored.

Several parts of the Ranni and Konni areas of Pathanamthitta were flooded and several houses were damaged. Minor landslips were reported from the eastern sides of the Kottayam and Idukki districts. Heavy winds of up to 65 kilometres per hour were predicted.

People in flooded areas and those living near rivers were shifted to safe locations. Vehicles to hilly areas were banned. Fishing activities from the coastal areas were also banned.

Low pressure formation over the Arabian sea was leading to the heavy rains in the state. The State Disaster Management Authority was already on an alert and NDRF teams were deployed across the state.

Kerala had suffered major natural calamities including major floods and landslides over the last few years claiming scores of lives.

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(Published 16 October 2021, 13:41 IST)