Rain fury continues in central Travancore
The monsoon continued to unleash its fury on central Travancore for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, with relentless rain and squally winds swelling rivers and raising fears of landslips in the high ranges.
Throughout the day, water levels in all major rivers across the region rose steadily. Floodwaters rushing from the upper reaches threatened to damage standing crops in the low-lying areas. The Central Water Commission declared an orange alert for the Pampa and Manimala rivers at Madamon and Kalluppara respectively, and a yellow alert for the Achencoil river at Thumpamon. The Meenachil and Muvattupuzha rivers also saw their levels rise continuously.
In response to the heavy rain, authorities declared a red alert for the Moozhiyar dam, where the water level was nearing the Full Reservoir Level of 192.63 metres. Two shutters of the Maniyar dam, which was almost at its capacity of 34.62 metres, were already opened. Meanwhile, the Kakki reservoir stood at 947.9 feet, and the Pampa reservoir at 970.85 metres.
Floodwaters submerged the causeways at Kurumbanmozhi and Arayanjilimon, disrupting traffic in the forest-side villages. A 35-member team from the National Disaster Response Force was deployed for relief and rescue operations.
Rainfall data from Kottayam showed the district received an average of 108.5 mm on Wednesday, with Kottayam and Kozha recording the highest downpour of 174.4 mm and 110.4 mm, respectively.
In light of the continuing rain, a ban on all forms of quarrying and mining activities was imposed in Kottayam and Pathanamthitta. Entry to high-range destinations such as Marmala Falls, Ilaveezhapoonjira, and Illikkal Kallu was prohibited. Travel along high-range roads, including the Erattupetta-Wagamon route, was also banned.
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