Heavy rain continued to lash parts of the State on Friday, even as weather forecasts indicated a decrease in rainfall activity in the week ahead.
Three more deaths were reported in rain-related incidents in the State on Friday. Athidi, a two-and-a-half year-old girl, drowned in a canal near her house at Chammannur in Thrissur district. The bodies of two youths, Muhammad Shafad, 20, and Sinanu, 20, who were swept away in the Chittarithod Cheruparambil river at Panoor were recovered on Friday.
In Munnar, Idukki, traffic was disrupted after a major landslip occurred on the Gap Road stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway in the morning. No one was injured in the incident.
Southern and central districts can expect a marked reduction in rainfall on Saturday, while four northern districts — Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod — are on yellow alert for isolated heavy rainfall (7-11 cm in a 24-hour period).
Squally weather with wind speeds reaching 40-45 kmph and gusting to 55 kmph are likely to prevail over the north Kerala coast, the India Meteorological Department has warned. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea. The Kerala coast, from Vizhinjam to Kasaragod, can expect high waves in the range of 3.5 - 4.2 metres till Saturday night, according to an alert issued by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).
As per the latest updates for the monsoon season, as many as 2,340 families (7,844 individuals) were evacuated to 203 relief camps in various districts. Thirty-houses have been destroyed in monsoon-related calamities, while 642 were damaged. Seventy camps have been opened in Pathanamthitta where 793 families have been shifted.
The agriculture sector has reported heavy losses. According to a first information report prepared by the Agriculture department, crop loss was reported in 8,898.95 hectares, affecting 39,301 farmers. The loss has been estimated at ₹95.96 crore.
