Heavy rain sparks fear of floods in Kottayam

Sharp rise in water level at Manimalayar

October 23, 2021 07:30 pm | Updated 07:56 pm IST - KOTTAYAM

A view of the Angamoozhy-Kottamonpara bridge bridge in Pathanamathitta being submerged by floodwaters on Saturday.

A view of the Angamoozhy-Kottamonpara bridge bridge in Pathanamathitta being submerged by floodwaters on Saturday.

Heavy rain lashed the eastern high-ranges of Kottayam and Pathanamathitta on Saturday, raising fears of yet another flood situation in central Travancore.

The downpour, which started in the afternoon, caused a sharp rise in the water level of the Manimalayar. The heavy gush of run-off water from the upper reaches also inundated the Mundakkayam causeway, leading to traffic disruptions.

The heavy rain also affected relief operations at Koottickal village, which had suffered widespread damages during the heavy rain last week.

Meanwhile, a minor landslip was reported from an isolated location, near Asambani, at Mundakkayam, where floodwater entered a few homes. Taking note of the situation, shopkeepers along the Kanjirappally-Mannarakayam road too began shifting their stocks to safer locations by evening.

Majority of the canals across the Munakkayam, Kanjirappally and Erumeli regions overflowed, inundating several houses on their banks. In view of the warning of more rain, the authorities maintained a strict vigil across the region.

In Pathanamthitta, a landslip was reported at Kottamonpara, near Angamoozhy, on the forest fringes on Saturday. The Angamoozhy-Kottamonpara bridge was completely submerged by the flood waters, while there were reports of a house and a few vehicles being washed away by the heavy gush of water.

The landslip was expected to trigger a rise in the water level of the Pampa by night.

Earlier in the day, the discharge of excess water from reservoirs to the Pampa had been brought down considerably with the closing of the two gates of the Pampa reservoir. Live water storage in the dam, which had touched 94% earlier this week, was brought down to 74%.

The shutters of the Kakki-Anathodu reservoirs, meanwhile, were lowered further to 30 cm from 60 cm.

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