AFP photo

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The flood situation in Kerala worsened on Friday as all five sluice gates of the Idukki dam were opened and shutters of over two dozen other dams were lifted, submerging vast areas in the state which has been reeling under unprecedented downpour in decades. The death toll in the last 48 hours has touched 29 — six deaths were reported in the past 24 hours — and four are reported missing.

Twenty-five people died in landslides while four drowned. Twelve deaths were reported from Idukki, six from Malappuram, four from Wayanad, two from Palakkad and one from Kannur. Three drowning deaths were reported from Ernakulam and one from Thiruvananthapuram . As many as 57 tourists, including 22 foreigners, who were trapped inside a resort at Pallivasal in Idukki were rescued by the Army by constructing a parallel path that led them to the main road.

As many as 439 relief camps have been opened, where 53,502 people have taken shelter. The discharge of water from all five shutters of Idukki dam reached 8 lakh litres per second on Friday, submerging most parts of Cheruthoni town and raising the water level at the downstream Bhoothathankettu dam by 1.2 metres. Shutters of 25 dams in the state remain open, resulting in considerable rise of water level in most rivers.

IMD has forecast heavy rains for the next 48 hours and the state has issued a red alert in Wayanad, Idukki, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts.

The alert will be in force at Wayanad till August 14 and in Idukki till August 13; other districts will be on alert till Sunday morning. After reviewing the situation late on Friday, CM Pinarayi Vijayan deputed two IAS officers to coordinate relief measures in Ernakulam.

With chances of Cochin International Airport Ltd suspending operations in the event of a flood, the Thiruvananthapuram international airport has been kept ready to handle flights diverted from Kochi.



In Video: Dramatic visuals: People washed away in floodwaters in Kerala’s Wayanad district