The bodies of two persons were recovered from a car that got washed away in surging floodwaters from the Moonnunkavayal bridge, near Kanjar, in Thodupuzha on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Koothattukulam residents Nikhil and Nima. According to reports, the car that was washed off the flooded bridge was blocked by a protection wall. The police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel recovered Nima’s body from near the car. Nikhil’s body was found within 100 metres, trapped in bushes.
A major landslip was reported at Pullupara, near Kuttikkanam, on the Kollam-Theni national highway in the morning. Many regions in the high ranges witnessed landslips, and remained almost isolated from the low ranges. The Karinkulam Chappathu bridge across the Periyar was flooded due to which traffic on the Kottayam-Kattappana State highway was suspended.
The water level in Idukki reservoir rose over 2.25 ft in a single day. The water level at 6 p.m. was 2,393.18 ft which was 88.87% of the storage level. The full reservoir level is 2,403.50 ft. The dam safety wing on Friday issued a blue alert at the dam when the water level reached 2,390.86.ft. An orange alert will be announced when the water level reaches 2,396.86 ft followed by the red alert at 2,397.86 ft.
Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) chief engineer (dam safety) Supriya S. said the situation in Idukki and other hydel dams was being closely monitored.
Dam shutters opened
The shutters of the Kallarkutty, Malankara, and Lower Periyar dams were opened. The district administration has banned tourism-related activities such as kayaking. Traffic has been banned on the Gap Road stretch of Kochi-Dhanushkodi national highway. Landslips and flash floods disrupted traffic on the Kollam-Theni national highway and the Thodupuzha-Puliyanmala route.
Protection walls of many houses on the hills collapsed. Many houses were damaged. Standing crops in a large area were destroyed, according to initial reports.
