picture : Twitter / ANI
As floods continue to ravage the state , the Kerala government has declared a holiday for the day for all schools across the state. Among the worst affected by floods is Wayanad , the constituency of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Alarmed at the situation , Rahul Gandhi spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the flood situation in Kerala and sought assistance for those affected in the State, including in his constituency Wayanad.
The flood situation in my parliamentary constituency, #Wayanad is grim. I’m monitoring the situation closely & have spoken to the Kerala CM and key Govt officials to expedite relief.
I will be reaching out to PM Modi as well to brief him & request Central Govt. assistance. pic.twitter.com/HWN8LXgE4h
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 8, 2019
“Spoke to the Prime Minister seeking all possible assistance for the people severely affected by the floods and landslides in the state, especially in Wayanad. The PM has assured to provide any assistance required to mitigate the effects of the disaster,” Gandhi tweeted from his Wayanad MP twitter handle.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had held a held a meeting with government and state Disaster Management Authority officials on Thursday night, said a “serious situation” is prevailing in parts of the state, especially Wayanad.
Moreover, There was no let-up from heavy rains in Kerala as four members of a family were killed at Edavanna in Malappuram district when their house collapsed on Friday, taking the rain-related death toll in the state to 12, while over 22,000 people have been moved to relief camps.
The Cochin International Airport, where flight operations was suspended till midnight Friday after floodwaters inundated the apron area (parking), will remain closed till 3 pm on Sunday, an official press release said.
Moderate to heavy rainfall with wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph is very likely to at one or two places in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts, the India Meteorological Department said.
High waves in the range of 3.2-3.7 metres are forecast till 23:30 hours of Saturday along the coast of Kerala from Pozhiyoor to Kasargod. Officials have advised fishermen not to venture into these areas during the period.
Train services on the Mararikulam-Alapuzha route was suspended this morning for a few hours as a tree fell on the track, damaging electric lines. At least 4 trains — Maveli Express, Rajdhani, Dhanbad express and Guruvayur — were held up at various points, railway sources said.
In Vatakara in Kozhikode district, three people are said to be missing after a landslide. Pala town in Kottayam is flooded and traffic movement has stopped. At Edavanna in Malappuram district four members of a family, including two children, died in a house collapse, police said.
Till Thursday, eight people had died in the state, mainly in northern Kerala, in rain-related incidents. As per the official updates on Friday morning, 22,165 people have been shifted to 315 relief camps in the state. In Wayanad, which is among the worst affected, 9,951 people have taken shelter in 105 camps, while in Malappuram, 4,106 people have been shifted to 26 camps.
Meanwhile , In wake of incandescent rainfall in Karnataka, bus services in certain routes were cancelled. Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation KSRTC said that bus services between Mysuru to Madikeri and Mysuru to HD Kote Road routes were suspended keeping in mind passenger safety.
Holealur town in Karnataka was also affected due to floods caused by overflowing of Mallapur dam.Owing to torrential downpour, hundreds of people were forced to take shelter at Holealur station.
Rescue and relief operations in flood-affected areas are in full swing as the National Disaster Relief Force has deployed several teams in Karnataka.
The Western Naval Command of the Indian Navy has mobilised considerable resources to provide assistance to state and district administrations of affected areas.
“In Karnataka, the rescue team proceeded to Hinduwada in Malapur area and evacuated many more people giving priority to women, children and critically ill patients to safer areas. Another team was deployed to Kovadu village in Belgaum district.
More from kerala, In another move The Kochi International airport on Friday suspended all operations till Sunday as the runway area in the airport is water logged due to flood, the airport authorities said.
“Kochi Airport closes operations till 1500 hrs of Sunday (11/08/2019),” a statement issued by the Airport said.
A Cochin International Airport Ltd spokesman said the runway area of the airport is water logged due to the flood.
On Thursday night, the CIAL had announced the suspension of flight operations till 9 am on Friday as a precautionary measure in view of heavy rains lashing the region. Flights coming to the airport were diverted.
The operations were suspended as there was a rise in water level in Periyar river and a canal adjacent to the airport due to heavy rains.
Heavy rains have been battering Kerala for the past few days and claiming eight lives on Thursday, bringing back the memories of the worst floods in August last year.
The airport was rendered non-functional for a fortnight in August 2018 due to inundation.
It had suffered damage to infrastructure, including a 2.6 km long wall that collapsed after the Periyar river overflowed. The estimated loss was then put between Rs 220-250 crore
