JOIN USHeavy rain pounded Kerala on Monday leaving its central districts battered, as the southwest monsoon remained active and weathermen forecast more rains till Friday.
At least six people were reported dead in rain-related incidents in the state on a day that saw life in cities including Kochi and parts of Kottayam, Idukki and Alappuzha districts severely affected.
Many parts of Kochi remained submerged till late evening on Monday. The KSRTC bus station in Ernakulam was inundated and flooding of rail tracks in the Ernakulam South station led to cancellation of 10 passenger train services and rescheduling of five long-distance trains, including services to Chennai and Bengaluru. Train services were also hit after trees fell on tracks on two locations, in Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts. Traffic on highways was affected as rain continued through the first half of the day.
More than 2,500 people are in rehabilitation camps across the state of which 1,007 are in Ernakulam. High waves continued to batter coastal areas of Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services has forecast high waves in the 3.5 m – 4.4 m range along the Kerala coast, till late Wednesday.
Landslips were reported in Kottayam and Idukki districts and the Kuttanad region suffered huge crop losses. Among the southern districts, Kollam and Pathanamthitta are the worst-hit.
Kochi and Kozha, in Kottayam, recorded extremely heavy rainfall of 23 cm each on Monday. Piravom in Ernakulam recorded 22 cm while heavy to heavy rainfall was recorded in Munnar and Peerumed in Idukki district (20 cm and 19 cm respectively).
The state has recorded an overall loss of about Rs eight crore in rain-related damages over the past week, Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan said after a review meeting here.
The southwest monsoon set in over Kerala on May 29. Between June 1 and July 16, the state has recorded a cumulative rainfall 16 % more than the long period average.