Kerala rain: Schools, colleges shut in Thiruvananthapuram as water enters houses

In the wake of heavy rainfall lashing parts of Kerala, all the educational institutes will remain closed on Monday in Thiruvananthapuram. The incessant downpour has triggered flood-like situations and landslides in various areas across the capital city.

Visuals shared by the local news channels showed that the heavy showers since Saturday night have lashed Thiruvananthapuram district leading to waterlogging and flooding of streets, roads and low-lying areas.

Water entered hundreds of homes in the district and in some areas there were also incidents of landslides, according to the visuals. Visuals also showed cars almost submerged while rescuers evacuated people from homes in inflatable boats to camps in some parts of Thiruvananthapuram.

Meanwhile, the Central Water Commission also issued a flood warning for three rivers in Thiruvananthapuram district. It has been issued for the Karamana, Neyyar, and Vamanapuram rivers in the district.

State general education minister V Sivankutty, who visited the flooded areas, said in a Facebook post that the rain since the previous night has created an unusual situation in Thiruvananthapuram city. There has been water logging in many places and a situation has been created where the rising seawater does not recede. Necessary government offices have been instructed to remain open, added Sivankutty.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued an orange alert for four districts– Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha, while a yellow alert has been issued for eight districts of the state for the day. The IMD also predicted isolated heavy rainfall in many places in the state in the coming days.