Heavy rain pounded the Thiruvananthapuram district on October 15, turning entire neighbourhoods into waterlogged fields and causing scores of residents in low-lying flood-prone areas abutting urban canals to scramble for higher ground.
Large swathes of the district suffered protracted power outages, with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) switching off main feeder lines to avoid any risk of electrocution.
Stoic and fraught scenes played out on the streets and neighbourhoods in the city, with fire and rescue department workers and local volunteers ushering reluctant families out of flooded homes to nearby schools and helping vexed motorists tow away vehicles stuck on the flooded roads.
In Thampanoor, commuters had to wade through waist-high water to reach the Central Railway Station and the main Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus stand.
The perimeter wall of a house collapsed at Sreekariyam. None were injured.
The Peppara Dam on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram city upped its shutters by 80 cm, given the heavy precipitation in the catchment area. The District Collector has warned people living downstream to exercise extreme caution.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rainfall till October 18 on account of a cyclonic circulation over Southern Tamil Nadu.
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has warned of high tides, which could result in sea incursions and strong waves across the Kerala coast. The government has warned fishers against venturing out to sea.
The government has also called for vigilance against mudslides and flash floods in the hilly districts of the State, chiefly Idukki.
