Heavy rain lashes Wayanad, authorities impose travel restrictions on key routes

Wayanad: The district administration has imposed travel restrictions on key ghat roads and curtailed inter-state vehicle movement after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a Red Alert for Wayanad on Tuesday, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall.

In view of the warning, Wayanad District Collector and District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Chairperson D R Meghashree ordered traffic restrictions on the Palchuram Ghat Road on the Kannur–Mananthavady route and the Thamarassery Ghat Road along National Highway 766.

The public has been advised to avoid travelling through the Thamarassery Ghat Road unless absolutely necessary. Motorists have also been urged to exercise extreme caution on all ghat roads, where continuous rain could trigger landslides, rockfalls, uprooting of trees and poor visibility.

The Thamarassery Ghat Road is one of the most important inter-state highways connecting the Malabar region of Kerala with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. A majority of long-distance buses and other vehicles travelling from Kozhikode to Mysuru and Bengaluru use this route because it is comparatively shorter and considered safer under normal conditions.

Restrictions have also been imposed on inter-state travel to and from Wayanad. Vehicle movement between the district and neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has been regulated until weather conditions improve.

District administrations in neighbouring regions, including the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, have been requested to regulate vehicles entering Wayanad. The Police and Motor Vehicles departments have been directed to strictly enforce the restrictions until further notice.

The IMD's Red Alert indicates the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall exceeding 204.4 mm in 24 hours, significantly increasing the risk of flash floods, landslides and other rain-related disasters.

The warning comes amid heightened concern in the hill district, which has witnessed several monsoon-related incidents in recent weeks, including the fatal landslide at the Kalladi twin-tunnel project site and minor earth slips at multiple locations. Experts have warned that continuous rainfall has saturated the soil across Wayanad's hilly terrain, making many areas highly vulnerable to fresh landslides.

Meanwhile, heavy rain continued to lash several parts of the district on Tuesday, particularly the ghat regions of Lakkidi, Periya, Korome, Kunjome and Thalappuzha. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation for signs of landslides, flooding and road blockages.

Residents living in landslide-prone areas have been advised to remain alert, follow official advisories and cooperate with emergency agencies if evacuation becomes necessary.