Rain updates: Red alert for Karnataka; schools closed in Kerala today after downpour
Heavy rain continued to lash several parts of Kerala, especially the hilly areas of its northern Malabar districts, on Thursday, disrupting normal life.
Several incidents of flooding, uprooting of trees, property damage and minor landslides were reported from many parts of the northern Kerala districts of Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod, where the IMD had issued a red alert for the day.
The district administration in all three districts declared a holiday for educational institutions on Friday, July 19. Holidays have also been declared in Areekode and Kondotty in Malappuram and Idukki districts, according to Mathrubhumi.
News agency PTI repoorted that an incident of a school bus overturning into a canal was also reported in Palakkad. No one was injured and all the children were rescued.
In Kannur, about 80 people were shifted to relief camps and around 71 families were moved to their relatives by the district administration due to heavy rainfall and flooding.
Additionally, 13 houses have been completely damaged and 242 homes partially damaged in the district due to the monsoon rains. There were also reports from some parts of north Kerala, of walls collapsing due to the rains and causing damage to vehicles parked nearby.
Red alert for several parts of Karnataka
The India Meteorological Department has said that isolated extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over coastal and south interior Karnataka till July 2020. This, the agency said is likely due to the influence of a low pressure area over central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal.
The IMD has issued a red alert for July 19 and 20 in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and south interior Karnataka, according to PTI.
A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours. It requires authorities to “take action” in view of an extreme weather event.
Authorities here have also issued a flood alert in the coastal and western ghat regions. Due to the widespread rainfall in these regions in the last two days, flooding in coastal and western ghats areas are likely.
On Thursday, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Dakshina Kannada district has announced the closure of National Highway 275 between Sampaje and Madikeri due to the possibility of landslides and rock falls, reported ANI.
The restriction will be in place from July 18 to July 22, every day from 8pm to 6am.
Heavy rain likely in Odisha till July 23
Heavy rain is likely in Odisha over the next four days due to the low-pressure area forming over the Bay of Bengal, the IMD said on Thursday.
Regional Met Centre director Manorama Mohanty told PTI that the low-pressure area formed over the central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal is likely to become more marked over the next two days and move northwestwards towards the Odisha coast.
“”Under its impact, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in many places across Odisha over the next four days,” she said.”
The weather office issued alerts for several districts, including Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi. Fisherfolks have been advised not to go into the deep sea from July 19 to 22.