Kochi Airport shut till Saturday, new rain red-alert for Kerala

Mangalore Today News Network

Kochi, Aug 15, 2018:  Kerala reeled under flood fury on Wednesday as surging waters led to operations at the international airport in Cochin suspended till Saturday, hit rail services and threatened relief camps while a red alert was sounded in 12 out 14 districts following heavy rainfall and opening of shutters of more than 30 dams.

The toll rose to at least 47, many areas were without power or drinking water, while more people were shifted to relief camps including 23,000 in Ernakulam.

The airport at Kochi will remain closed till Saturday "due to heavy rains and resultant flooding". The runway and the parking area at the Kochi airport are flooded. Train services have also been affected in Kerala, with many being delayed and cancelled. It turned out to be the state’s worst monsoon in almost a century.

Here are the top 10 updates on Kerala floods:

    1. The Kochi airport - seen as the gateway to Kerala - was shut early in the morning as the authorities found it impossible to continue flight operations. The closure was expected to continue till 2 pm.

    2. Later in the day, a spokesperson of the airport said, "Kochi airport operations temporarily suspended till 18th Saturday 2 PM since the inflow of water is still on a raising trend. We are working hard to drain out the storm water". It is not known if the airport or the runway is flooded. The decision to suspend the operations was taken after all the shutters of two dams of the Idukki water reservoir were reopened last evening to release excess water.

    3. Authorities are maintaining a close vigil especially in Idukki district as the shutters of the Mullaperiyar dam were also opened at 2.35 am after its water-level crossed 140 feet.
 
    4. Hundreds of people living on the banks of Periyar river were shifted before the gates were opened.

    5. "Due to excess rainfall floods, families, who have lost their closed ones and had to go through hardships, the country is standing by them with all its might to help them. Those who have lost the lives of their own, I share their sorrow," PM Narendra Modi said today during his last Independence Day speech.

    6. The state has cancelled Onam celebrations after the devastation caused by the rain and floods.The government has diverted Rs. 30 crore, meant for cultural events, to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.

    7. Tourists have been asked to stay away from the popular hill station of Munnar in Idukki district, which remained flooded on Tuesday. Except for official vehicles, no other vehicles are allowed to enter the town. People have also been asked not to visit the Sabarimala hill shrine as the water level in the rain-fed Pampa river is high.

    8. With almost all rivers in spate, landslides and flooding continue to be reported from several districts of the state including Idukki, Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad and Malappuram.

    9. More than 10,000 kilometres of roads and hundreds of homes have been destroyed or damaged across Kerala, officials said.

    10. The rain, which got heavy from August 8, is said to have caused the worst damage to Kerala since 1924. Over 60,000 people are in relief camps and the damages to crops and properties is estimated to be over Rs. 8,000 crore.