Kerala rains: Kochi Airport closed; govt cancels official Onam celebrations

The death toll in Kerala rains has increased to 44 after five people died on Wednesday in building collapse due to rain in different cities

With heavy rains and landslides pounding Kerala for more than a week now, the state government has cancelled the official Onam celebrations for this year, which was expected to take place from Wednesday to Monday. The Mullaiperiuar dam was opened earlier on Wednesday, and more water is being released to the rivers resulting in further flood. As a precautionary measure, Kochi Airport has suspended operations till 2 pm on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in his Independence Day speech, said the state was facing its worst-ever disaster. According to reports, the death toll has increased to around 44, after five people died on Wednesday in building collapse due to rain in different cities.

With the Mullaiperiyar dam releasing water from around 2.30 am on Wednesday, the water inflow in Idukki dam is also rising. More water is being released. Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) announced that the water level in Mullaiperiyar dam, the upper dam of Idukki dam, is increasing, and was at a 141.2 feet level on Wednesday morning. The water level may rise further if the rain continues. . Once this water reaches Idukki dam, it may have to release more water. Meanwhile, the government has taken steps to shift people living in the catchment area of Periyar river in advance, to avoid further loss of lives. 

The dams in Thiruvananthapuram have also been opened in the last 24 hours, which has increased the water level in the state capital, sources said. 

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Thiruvananthapuram, out of the 14 districts in the state, 12 are expected to receive heavy-to-very-heavy rainfall, which means red alert, while Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam has an orange alert, indicating lower-intensity heavy-to-very-heavy rainfall forecast. 

Rail services from Thiruvananthapuram has also been affected whie Kochi Airport has stopped all operations from 6.30 am to 2 pm on Wednesday due to flood level in and around the airport. Flights have been deviated to the nearby airports.

The rain receded in many districts for a short while on Monday, but received more rainfall on Tuesday. According to reports, 33 dams in the state are open as of now. Between June 1 and August 14, the state has received cumulatively 23 per cent more rain, reaching an actual rainfall of 1959.11 mm compared to the normal rainfalls of 1591.9 mm expected.

Meanwhile, taking the heavy to very heavy rainfall received in the catchments of Petchiparai and Perunjanai dams of Kanyakumari district into account, a total of 30,000 cusecs water is being released from Wednesday morning. More than 100 families have been evacuated and people in low-lying areas were advised to move to safety.

"Between 9th and 12th of this month, 37 lives have been lost and 5 persons are still missing. So far, 186 lives have been lost in the heavy rainfalls and floods. There had been 211 landslides. Tens of thousands are in the relief camps," Vijayan said on social media. The state has requested around Rs 12 billion from the central government for immediate relief and rehabilitation.

The state has also sought financial support from people across the world after around 186 people died and tens and thousands were affected during the ongoing monsoon season till Tuesday. At least four people are missing. Around 20,000 houses have been completely destroyed, the state government announced on Tuesday. A total of 439 relief camps were opened and nearly 10,000 km of state PWD roads damaged. The preliminary loss is around Rs 83.16 billion. 

The central government has allowed Rs 1 billion as immediate relief and various neighbouring states have also extended financial support. 

Various corporates and multinational firms have also extended support. TVS Motor Company has contributed Rs 10 million to the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF), in lieu of the distressing flood situation in Kerala. Mercedes-Benz India on Wednesday announced its contribution as a responsible corporate citizen, to support the relief activities currently undertaken by the authorities in the state. Mercedes-Benz announced a voluntary contribution of Rs 2.5 million towards the Chief Minister’s National Relief Fund. The company has also announced customer service support to its brand vehicles which were damaged in the inundations in the state.