Kottayam: The Kottayam collector has declared a holiday for all educational institutions that are functioning as relief camps in the district on Friday (July 27). Kottayam was one of the worst-affected in the torrential rain last week that wreaked havoc across the state.
Meanwhile, authorities have said that shutters of the Pampa Dam will be opened soon as the water level has reached its maximum capacity. The district collector has warned people living along the banks of the river to be cautious.
The torrential rain has claimed 49 lives in Kerala since July 9, in the second phase of the southwest monsoon.
Flood-hit districts
Alappuzha and Kottayam districts, the worst-hit in the recent southwest monsoon in Kerala, will soon be declared flood-hit districts, officials said on Thursday.
A decision in this regard was taken by the state disaster management authority, an official release said.
Once a notification is issued, farmers in the two districts will be able to claim insurance for crop loss, according to the release.
In Alappuzha district, Rs 2.44 crore has been sanctioned by the authority, of which Rs 1.69 crore has to be used for reconstruction of bunds and to prevent floods.
The authority has allocated Rs 35 lakh for undertaking repairs on the Alappuzha Changanassery (AC) road passing through Kottayam-Alappuzha districts.
The CM's office dismissed as 'baseless' reports that discrimination had been shown in the allotment of funds to some districts, which suffered loss in the rains.
In Alappuzha district, 12 people have lost their lives since the onset of the monsoon on May 29.
Twentyfour houses were damaged fully and 575 partially in the district, where many places are still water-logged.
Nine deaths have been reported from Kottayam district where 774 houses are partially damaged and eight fully, according to official sources.
In Alappuzha, crop loss in 5,833.48 hectares has been reported, while in Kottayam crops in 5,121.89 hectares have been destroyed.
As many as 44,727 people are staying in Alappuzha district in 187 relief camps, while in Kottayam 4,408 people have been housed in 32 camps.
(With PTI inputs)
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