JOIN USHeavy rains lashed the northern districts of Kerala on Friday, reviving south-west monsoon in the state after weeks of scanty to moderate showers.
The state’s central and southern regions have also been recording heavy rains throughout Friday.
Even as reports of deaths and damage to properties arrived from different parts, district collectorates have been put on alert in the backdrop of predictions of landslips and more rains during the next two days.
Alert has also been issued to people in the high-range regions. The Revenue Department is set to open control rooms in Idukki district.
Two deaths have been reported from Kasaragod and Palakkad districts, while two persons are reported missing in torrential rains that continued in Kannur and Kasaragod districts over the past couple of days.
Many low-lying areas in Kozhikode and Kannur districts have been flooded, even as district administrators lined up plans for more relief camps. People in coastal areas have also been moved to relief shelters.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Centre in Thiruvananthapuram predicted heavy rains across the state till the early hours of Monday. Irikkur in Kannur district recorded 21 cm rainfall on Friday while Kudlu in Kasaragod (18 cm), Taliparamba and Mattannur in Kannur (17 cm each), Hosdurg in Kasaragod and Tavanur in Malappuram (13 cm each) also recorded heavy to very heavy rainfall in the north.
Parts of central and southern districts where the rains had kept away over the past few weeks recorded heavy rainfall on Friday. Kozha in Kottayam district recorded the second highest rainfall of the day; at 19 cm. Rains in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam districts caused traffic disruptions in the city areas.
A holiday has been declared for educational institutions except professional colleges on Saturday in Kasaragod, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts. The Met Centre has also cautioned fishermen against venturing out into the sea with predictions of strong onshore winds.