Kerala rains: Holiday for educational institutes in 3 districts tomorrow

Thiruvananthapuram: All educational institutions in the Kottayam, Kollam and Idukki districts have been declared a holiday on Saturday by the District Collector due to continued heavy rain. The holiday will also apply to Anganwadis, educational institutions conducting vacation classes, tuition centres, and other summer vacation art, sports training centres/institutions, and religious study centres. However, previously scheduled examinations will be held as planned. 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for all districts in the state for Saturday, forecasting heavy rainfall between 7 and 11 cm within 24 hours. 

The IMD had issued a red alert for eight districts in the state on Friday, including Kasaragod, Kannur, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Alappuzha, and Pathanamthitta.

In coastal regions, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) had issued a red alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur, with warnings of high waves between 1.2 and 3.7 metres till 8.30 pm Friday. An orange alert was sounded for Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kasaragod and Kannur. Residents and fishermen have been urged to avoid beaches, suspend marine activities, and stay alert for rough sea conditions.

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) reported steadily rising water levels in major rivers — including the Manimala and Achankovil in Pathanamthitta, the Meenachil in Kottayam, the Korapuzha in Kozhikode, and the Kabani in Wayanad — triggering alerts for people residing along the riverbanks.

Meanwhile, three shutters of the Malankara dam have been opened on Friday to regulate the water level at the reservoir. People living along the banks of the Muvatupuzha and Thodupuzha rivers are advised to exercise caution. 

Seven dead; three missing
Seven more people lost their lives in rain-related incidents across Kerala in the past two days, while three others have gone missing.

Annakutty Chacko (80) died in Thirumarady, Ernakulam on Friday after a tree fell on her. K J James (65) drowned after falling in a waterlogged area in Punnapra, Alappuzha.

On Thursday, a youth from Kottayam died after a tree fell on a lorry in Kumily near the Tamil Nadu checkpost. In Bovikanam, Kasaragod, a woman who had gone out to wash clothes was swept away by a stream in front of her house. In Alappuzha, a houseboat worker slipped and fell into a canal and died. In Punnapra, a 65-year-old man who had gone fishing was found dead in a waterlogged field. In Vizhinjam, a youth who was undergoing treatment after being injured by a falling coconut tree while returning from a fishing trip has died.

Meanwhile, a woman went missing after falling into a stream in Muthiyangayi, Padiyam, Kannur. In Kochi, a fisherman from Kettamangalam went missing after his boat capsized in the Kumbalam backwaters. Another man from Cherayi, Kochi, went missing after his boat overturned in the Veeranpuzha lake.

With several parts of the state already battling flooding, uprooted trees, and rising river levels, authorities have stepped up response measures to tackle what Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described as “widespread damage”.

Relief efforts are already underway. The Chief Minister said around 1,200 people have been shifted to 59 relief camps across the state. He warned residents in landslide- and flood-prone areas to relocate to safer zones or relief shelters.

“Water levels in rivers and waterbodies are increasing rapidly. People should avoid activities like bathing or washing in them,” Vijayan said at a press conference on Thursday, underlining the threat from strong winds, flash floods and landslides.

In response to the worsening situation, one unit each of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed in Idukki, Malappuram, Kasaragod and Thrissur. Additional units will be stationed in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Wayanad by June 1, and will remain until the monsoon subsides.

The IMD attributed the heavy downpour to a severe low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, adding that Kerala could experience more thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching speeds of 40–60 kmph in the coming days.

The southwest monsoon hit Kerala on May 24 — eight days earlier than usual — and has since intensified steadily, prompting emergency action from state and central agencies.