Lagatar24 Desk
Kannur: Heavy rain continued to lash several parts of Kerala, particularly the hilly areas of the northern Malabar districts, on Thursday, severely disrupting normal life. Multiple incidents of flooding, uprooting of trees, property damage, and minor landslides were reported from Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod, where the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red alert.
In response to the severe weather, district administrations in these areas declared a holiday for educational institutions on Friday, July 19. Similar measures were also taken in Areekode and Kondotty in Malappuram, and Idukki districts, as per Mathrubhumi reports.
A school bus overturned into a canal in Palakkad, but fortunately, no injuries were reported, and all children were safely rescued, according to PTI.
In Kannur, the district administration relocated around 80 people to relief camps and approximately 71 families to their relatives’ homes due to heavy rainfall and flooding. The monsoon rains have completely damaged 13 houses and partially damaged 242 homes in the district. Reports also indicated that in some parts of northern Kerala, walls collapsed due to the rain, causing damage to parked vehicles.
The IMD forecasted isolated extremely heavy rainfall over coastal and south interior Karnataka until July 20, influenced by a low-pressure area over the central and north Bay of Bengal. Consequently, red alerts have been issued for Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, and south interior Karnataka for July 19 and 20.
A red alert signals the potential for over 20 cm of rainfall in 24 hours, prompting authorities to take necessary actions. Flood alerts have also been issued for coastal and Western Ghats regions due to anticipated widespread rainfall.
The Superintendent of Police in Dakshina Kannada announced the closure of National Highway 275 between Sampaje and Madikeri from July 18 to July 22, every night from 8 PM to 6 AM, due to possible landslides and rock falls, as reported by ANI.
Additionally, Odisha is expected to experience heavy rain over the next four days due to a developing low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. Regional Met Centre Director Manorama Mohanty informed PTI that this low-pressure area is likely to become more prominent and move northwest towards the Odisha coast, resulting in heavy to very heavy rainfall across the state. Alerts have been issued for several districts, including Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, and Kalahandi, with fisherfolks advised against venturing into the deep sea from July 19 to 22.
