Kottayam: Widespread damage was reported in Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts on Friday following heavy rain and strong winds that lashed parts of Kerala.

In Kottayam, strong winds that hit the district after noon caused trees to fall, blocking several key roads. Traffic was disrupted on the Kumarakom–Cherthala road near the boat jetty bridge, and on the Ettumanoor–Ernakulam route at Kaankariyam due to fallen trees. A similar situation was reported on the national highway at Edachira, where traffic towards Kanjirappally was blocked. The Erumeli–Ranni forest stretch also saw roadblocks due to uprooted trees.

Meanwhile, in Wayanad, the shutters of the Banasura Sagar Dam were raised again due to heavy rainfall in its catchment areas. The spillway shutters were opened up to 60 cm on Friday, the dam’s executive engineer said in a press release. This follows an earlier opening on June 26, when the shutters were raised 30 cm to release 48.8 cubic metres of water per second.

Residents living along the banks of the Kadamanthode, Kannarampuzha, and Panamarampuzha rivers were alerted, as the water level in these rivers is expected to rise by evening. The dam drains into the Kabani River, a major tributary of the Kaveri.

According to the District Disaster Management Authority, the catchment areas, covering Padinjarethara, Pozhuthana, Thondarnadu, and Vythiri village panchayats, have witnessed continuous heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours.

Authorities have urged caution as inclement weather is likely to persist in the coming days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted very heavy rains for two days from Friday due to a low-pressure area located along the coast from Maharasthra to the Kerala coast.

Heavy rains are likely to continue for five days till July 29, a release from the IMD and Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said on Friday.

Strong winds with a speed of 50 to 60 kmph are likely in isolated places in Kerala from Friday to Sunday. A low-pressure area is located over West Bengal coast and northwest Bay of Bengal.

The Gangetic plain is likely to move towards West Bengal, North Odisha, and Jharkhand during the next 24 hours, it said.