Heavy rains triggered a series of mudslips at Munnar hill station in Idukki district of Kerala on July 30. District authorities have not reported any causalities so far. However, the hill station remained largely isolated from the rest of the district.
The police have banned traffic on the Gap Road stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi national highway in Munnar.
District authorities said mudslips occurred along the Kochi-Dhanushkodi national highway, Munnar-Maryaur inter-State route, and Munnar-Pallivasal road.
Devikulam Sub-Collector V.M. Jayakrishnan said heavy rains caused huge quantities of mud and boulders to fall on the road, making the Kochi-Dhanushkodi highway unmotorable. He said efforts were under way to clear the arterial road of debris.
According to officials, Munnar received 207 mm of rainfall for the past 24 hours, as recorded by a system installed by Amritha Vishwavidyapeedam at Antoniar Colony near Munnar.
G. Sojan, coordinator of My Munnar Movement, said that after landslips and mudslips, all major routes connecting the hill station faced roadblocks.
In the wake of heavy rains and increasing landslip incidents, Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine called an emergency online meeting on July 30.
