Amid the heavy downpour in Kerala, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a red alert in seven districts of the state.
The alerts have been issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Idukki districts.
Six killed in rain-related incident:
Meanwhile, a total of six people have died and one person is missing as of now amid landslide and flood-like situation in several districts, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Monday.
Three members of a family died when their car fell into a canal in Kallupallam, Thiruvalla. The car reportedly fell into the canal while trying to overtake a private bus.
CM calls meeting:
In view of the development, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called a meeting of the District Collectors to assess rain damage and coordinate relief work, a release issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.
The Chief Minister has asked people to be very careful, not go into rivers, water bodies, streams etc. to bathe, wash clothes or bathe animals, avoid night travel as much as possible and be ready to strictly follow the warnings given by the Disaster Management Authority.
Holiday declared in educational institutes:
Further, a holiday for educational institutions has been declared by the Kerala government in seven districts on Tuesday in view of the incessant rain in the State. The seven districts are Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Alappuzha, Kollam and Kottayam.
Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts are experiencing heavy rains. Water levels in rivers are rising in many places. Many streams overflowed.
Earlier in the month of July, the Kannur and Kasargod districts witnessed heavy showers with the rivers of Kasargod overflowing.
The water levels of Kadalundi (Malapuram), Bharathapuzha (Palakkad), Shiria (Kasargod), Karavannoor (Thrissur) and Gayatri (Thrissur) rivers have reached the warning level.
(with agency inputs)
