Kerala heavy Rain: Devotees asked to avoid visiting Sabarimala temple on Oct 17,18

Kerala: Travancore Devaswom ( TDB) Board requested Lord Ayyappa devotees to refrain from visiting Sabarimala Temple on October 17 and 18 in view of the continuing heavy rainfall in the state, especially in Pathanamthitta district and the dangerously high-water level in Pamba river.

A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan decided not to allow pilgrims to Sabarimala until October 19. Shutters of Maniyar Dam in Pathanamthitta district opened after an increase in the water level of the reservoir due to heavy rainfall, followed by low-pressure formations in the southeast of the Arabian Sea off the coast of Kerala.

Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan has reached Kottayam collectorate to take stock of the rain situation in the district. Four people died in landslides in Koottickal in Kottayam and Kokkayar in Idduki districts of Kerala and 12 persons went missing on Saturday due to heavy rainfall in the state.

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According to Kerala Minister VN Vasavan who is camping in Kottayam, bodies of three people have been found in the landslide in Koottickal in Kottayam. Several areas in the high ranges of Kottayam and Idukki faced flash floods and some were isolated. A man and woman travelling in a car were washed away in the flash floods at Kanjar in Thodupuzha.

Heavy rains are wreaking havoc in different parts of the state since Friday night. Ten persons went missing in a landslide at Koottikkal in Kottayam and seven went missing in a landslide at Kokkayar in Idukki district. Several people have lost their lives in the rain fury. Amid fears of a repeat of the catastrophic floods in 2018, CM Vijayan said that the situation is not expected to become worse.

“The latest climate forecast offers a relief. We are not headed to a worse situation,” he said after a high-level review meeting on Saturday evening. A red alert has been sounded in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad.

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The IMD has asked people to take precaution against lightening between 2 pm and 10 pm on Sunday. The high-level meeting decided to evacuate people from areas prone to floods and landslide. The chief minister asked officers to take special care on dam management.