Kasaragod: Monsoon has picked up force steadily in Kerala in the last fortnight after a lacklustre opening spell in June. Heavy rains continue to lash the northern and central districts. A yellow alert has been sounded in all districts of the State except Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam on Friday. The India Meteorological Department has predicted that heavy rains with thunderstorms may lash the State for the next four days.
Rain-marred northern districts
The District Collectors of Kannur and Kasaragod have declared all educational institutions, including professional colleges, to remain closed on Friday, in both districts.
All through Wednesday, different parts of Kasaragod and Kannur districts received a rainfall of 11 cm each while 8 cm of rain was reported in Kozhikode, Wayanad and Idukki districts.
Kasaragod District Collector’s decision to shut schools and colleges is in view of the heavy rains that have been lashing the district for the past three days, leading to rivers and other water bodies breaching the banks. There would be no change in the conduct of examinations and interviews scheduled earlier.
District Collector Bhandari Swagath Ranveer Chand also directed the heads of educational institutions to make arrangements to compensate for the loss of study time due to rain-related holidays. Extremely heavy rains (119.5 mm) were recorded in Vellarikkundu Taluk in Kasaragod district and heavy rains were reported in other Taluks of the district.
In Kannur, the District Collector has declared all educational institutions including professional colleges, ICSE, CBSE schools, and Anganawadis in the district to remain closed on Friday. He said directions must be given to safeguard children from rain-related risks.
Kannur University Examination Controller has informed that all examinations, including practicals, that were scheduled for the day have been postponed. The revised date and schedule would be informed later.
Shutdown in Devikulam Taluk
All educational institutions, including professional colleges, in Devikulam Taluk of the Idukki district, are also to remain closed on Friday. However, examinations and interviews would be conducted as scheduled.
Twin factors
There is a low-pressure corridor extending from the Southern Coast of Maharashtra to the Northern coast of Kerala, and a cyclone formation over the Bay of Bengal near the Odisha and Northern Andhra Pradesh Coast. Owing to these, the monsoon winds are strengthening, resulting in heavy rainfall.
The State Disaster Management Authority has directed to refrain from fishing activities considering the bad weather conditions and heavy rains on Kerala, Lakshadweep, and Karnataka coasts until Monday.
Crop loss estimated at Rs 87.65 crore
Due to the heavy rains that continue to lash Kerala over the past one week, a crop loss of Rs 87.65 crore has been estimated in the State, according to the preliminary reports from the Agriculture Department between July 1 and 7.
The crops in 3,731.29 hectares have been damaged and as many as 11,270 farmers have been affected. Most damages have been reported in Malappuram district and the least in Kottayam district, as per the report.
