A flash flood, triggered by widespread landslips in the high ranges of Kottayam district, has raised fear of another great deluge like the previous year.
The landslips at Adukkam in the Theekkoyi ranges were reported in early on Friday. As a result, there was a sudden rise in the water level in the Meenachil river with the flood water gushing into several houses on the river banks.
With the water levels increasing and continuing to inundate scores of houses, the authorities have sounded an alert in the vulnerable villages on the river banks and began shifting the villagers.
Preliminary reports suggested that the landslips, which occurred at a desolate area inside the forests, claimed no lives though it involved loss of property and livestock. Revenue officials are taking stock of the situation.
The low-lying areas of Pala and Kottayam town, located on the river bank, have been inundated since Thursday midnight, affecting vehicular traffic. Traffic along the Kottayam-Kumily road remains suspended after Mundakkayam — the gateway to the Western ghats.
Water has begun to enter the houses in the backwater villages, including Kumarakom and Thiruvarppu, where the Meenachil and other rivers meet the Vembanad lake and steps are in place to shift the residents to safer locations.
Five relief camps
The district administration has so far opened five relief camps, where 114 members from 29 families have been accommodated. Civil Supplies Minister P. Thilothaman is in the district to coordinate and monitor the rescue and relief activities.
Meanwhile, there is no let-up in the situation in the eastern side of the district with all the rivers being in spate. The flood waters have taken over all the major roads and causeways across the rivers, bringing normal life to a halt.
The opening of the shutters of the Malankara dam has threatened to flood the low-lying areas on the banks of the Muvattupuzha river, including Thalayolaparambu and Vadayar.
