Kerala: Rain Batters Several Districts, Thiruvananthapuram Received 211 mm Rain Within Hours

Heavy rains, owing to the Cyclonic depression over the Arabian Sea, lashed Thiruvananthapuram and several parts of the capital city till the early hours of October 15, leading to water stagnation and inundation in residential areas and Technopark, the IT hub in the city. 

Very heavy rainfall, in excess of 115.6 mm, was recorded in 24 hours ending October 15, with Thiruvananthapuram recording a massive 211.4 mm rainfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported. Incidentally, no warning was issued for the district by the IMD for these days. 

People living close to Vellayani backwaters had to be evacuated during the early hours of October 15 owing to the overflowing of rainwater. As of October 16, six houses were totally destroyed, while 11 were partially damaged. 

The overflowing Neyyar and Killi rivers submerged hundreds of houses within the city limits and Neyyattinkara taluk. The district administration has opened 21 relief camps where 876 affected people are accommodated. A holiday for educational institutions was announced on October 16 as well. 

An orange alert has been announced for Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Idukki districts, while Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram are issued yellow alerts on October 16.

The IMD issued a statement on October 14 about the possibility of thundershowers across the state till October 20. 

Water levels in rivers, backwaters and canals receded by Monday afternoon, bringing much-needed relief to people living closer to the water bodies. Rail services were affected on Sunday for a few hours, leading to delays in the operation of express trains. Rail and vehicle transport were restored within a few hours after the rain receded. 

The minister for transport, Antony Raju, while claiming the lack of alert from the IMD, said, "We have received an unprecedented amount of more than 20 cm of rain within a few hours, but usually such quantity is realised in 3-4 days". 

The IMD has now predicted the formation of a new low-pressure area over the east-central Arabian Sea in the next 48 hours. The low pressure is expected to intensify into a depression by October 21. 

It also said thunderstorms with light to moderate rainfall and gusty winds were likely to occur at one or two places in the Kasaragod district of the state during the day.

Despite heavy rainfall over the last 15 days, the Northeast Monsoon (NEM) has not officially arrived in the state. Since October 1, Thiruvananthapuram has received an excess rainfall of 158%, while the excess rainfall across the state is 19%. 

Operations in a few companies in Technopark were affected due to the flooding, while around 900 people were evacuated across the district. The Central Water Commission had issued an alert of flooding in three rivers in Thiruvananthapuram district.

Ernakulam, Kollam and Alappuzha districts witnessed high rainfall on Sunday, leading to waterlogs and stagnation in different parts, though the intensity was much less than in Thiruvananthapuram.