Heavy rain claims two lives in district

Heavy rain that lashed the district on Sunday led to flooding of all majorroads in Kochi. A scene from Shenoy Road near Kaloor. Photo: H. Vibhu

The incessant rain that lashed the district on Sunday claimed two lives and threw normal life out of gear.

According to the police, two fishermen, who had set out on a country boat for fishing lost their lives after their boat capsized at Konothupuzha near Perumbalam, rocked by gusty winds and sudden high waves. The deceased were identified as Raman, 55, and his brother Ashokan, 42, both hailing from Udayamperoor near here.

Preliminary investigation showed that the duo, while swimming to the shore, died out of exhaustion and also gulped in some amount of water. Another person, Shaji, who had accompanied them in the ill-fated boat, swam to safety.

The rain that started by Sunday midnight extended to the morning hours, leaving several parts of the city water-logged. Traffic along the major roads, including the Edappally-Vyttila bypass and Shenoy Road, the South railway station road and Kadavantra, was also affected due to flooding.

The inclement weather since last night also forced the Port Trust to issue a warning to all boat operators in the Kochi backwaters.

Boat services suspended

The Kerala State Water Transport Department suspended its boat services to Fort Kochi, Mattancherry and Vypin areas by 11.30 a.m. “The services were suspended after the Port Trust warned of strong onshore winds with speed reaching 45-55 kmph. Six boat services were cancelled and finally the services could be resumed about two hours later,” said a KSWTD official. Port Trust officials said incessant rains both in the main land and at high sea resulted in waves splashing towards the coast. The water body was rough right from the morning and by afternoon, strong winds were blowing which forced us to issue the warning, they said.

District Collector M.G. Rajamanickam, who reviewed the situation on Sunday evening, said the rains inflicted more damage in the eastern parts of the district such as Kothamangalam, Muvattupuzha and Piravom. However, the copious showers largely spared the city of water-logging due to the de-clogging of canals and opening up of choked drainages.

“Rain water that was pooled in many parts of the city, including MG Road, got drained quickly and there were not many complaints from the general public regarding water-logging, which shall be considered as an indicator of improved flood management system,” the Collector said.