Despite let up in the rain and drop in the water level in major dams, Kerala remained on tenterhooks on Saturday in the face of heavy rainfall warning and continued displacement of over 60,000 persons in four districts.
The State government on Saturday put the death toll on account of the rain at 31 and said five persons were still missing. As many as 60,622 persons have been accommodated in 513 relief camps. Around 1,501 houses were damaged and another 101 destroyed in the rain fury. There was massive loss of crops and property, an official press note said.
Ex gratia announced
After an aerial survey of the flood-ravaged districts and visiting some of the relief camps, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh to the next of kin of those who had lost their lives in rain-related incidents, ₹4 lakh to those who have lost their homes and ₹10 lakh to those who have lost both their homes and land.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh would reach Kochi on Sunday morning for an aerial survey of the flood-ravaged areas of Idukki and Ernakulam and hold talks with the Chief Minister, Ministers and State officials. Personnel of the army have been stationed in Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Idukki and Ernakulam districts. Two AN32 aircraft are on call at the Sulur airbase and personnel of the Navy have been located in Wayanad and Kochi to meet any emergency.
The Met Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in most places in Idukki, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Wayanad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod districts over the coming three days, raising the red alert in all of them.
The Chief Minister called upon all government agencies to remain vigilant in view of the heavy rainfall warning. The State, he said, had a long haul ahead given the magnitude of the devastation caused by the rain and called for support from all quarters.
There was, however, some relief with the water level showing a downward trend through the day. At 8 p.m., the water level was 2,400.26 ft in Idukki, against the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 2,403 ft.
