Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala will continue to receive heavy to very heavy rain till August 1, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in a revised forecast on Monday. Orange alerts were issued for Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad,  Kannur and Kasaragod. These four districts are expected to receive heavy rainfall ranging from 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm in 24 hours.

Yellow alert in districts
July 29 – Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad
July 30 – Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, Kasaragod
July 31 – Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasaragod
August 1 – Kozhikode, Kannur , Kasaragod
A yellow alert indicates heavy rainfall ranging from 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm within 24 hours.

Squally weather with a wind speed of 45kmph to 55 kmph, gusting to 65 kmph, is likely to prevail over the Kerala coast till August 2, the forecast said. It also alerted rain accompanied by thundershowers in most parts of the state till August 4.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has indicated that the sea is likely to become more turbulent, with high waves of 2.2 to 3.1 metres expected along the Kerala coast until 11.30 pm on Tuesday. A high wave alert has also been issued for the coasts of Lakshadweep, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Mahe.

Heavy rain in Kozhikode, Wayanad
Heavy rain continues to wreak havoc in the hilly areas of Kozhikode and Wayanad on Monday.

In Wayanad, the Chembukadavu bridge over the Chalipuzha River was completely inundated with floodwaters. The Puthumala region, which witnessed a devastating landslide in 2018, received more than 200 mm of rain in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, a minor landslide happened at Punchirimattam, Mundakkai near Meppadi, in the early hours of the day.

As heavy rain continued to lash in the catchment area of Banasura Sagar Dam, the water level of the reservoir touched the 773-metre mark, just 0.5 metres from the upper rule level of the dam. KSEB issued a ‘Red alert’ for the dam before opening the shutters. A ‘Blue alert’ was issued signalling the preparations for opening of the shutters on Friday and an 'Orange alert' was issued on Sunday after the water level rose.

In Kozhikode, the Chaliyar and Iruvazhinji rivers have begun to overflow, causing flooding in several areas along their banks. Additionally, a landslide happened on the Thusharagiri-Chippilithodu road in Kodenchery, impacting traffic. Flooding has also disrupted vehicular movement on the Mundoor bridge in the Kodenchery area.

4 shutters of Peechi dam opened
In Thrissur, heavy rain in the catchment area of the Peechi Dam has led the irrigation department to open four shutters of the reservoir. The current water level of the dam stands at 78.25 meters, just below the maximum capacity of 79.25 meters. Additionally, the minor irrigation department opened all three spillway shutters of the Pathazhakundu Dam on Monday.