Fire and Rescue Services personnel shifting people to a camp from the flooded Thazhechovva area in Kannur on Thursday following heavy rain.
| Photo Credit: S.K. Mohan
Continuous heavy rain wreaked havoc in Kannur and Kasaragod districts on Thursday, leading to severe waterlogging inundating roads and homes. The agriculture sector, particularly in hilly areas, also suffered extensive damage.
The India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for these districts on Friday. A holiday has been declared for all educational institutions in Kannur and Kasaragod on Friday. However, all scheduled public and university examinations will he held as planned. While in Kannur professional colleges will have holiday, in Kasaragod there will be no holiday for these institutions.
With water level rising in the Pazhassi dam following incessant rain, officials opened all 16 shutters, eight partially, releasing water into the Valapattanam river.
Due to the risk of landslips, vehicular traffic was banned on the 600-metre section from the Naikali bridge on the Mattannur-Irikkur road until further notice. At Thazhae Chova, the Thilanoor road was submerged and water entered shops and houses.
An Air India Express flight from Kuwait scheduled to land at Kannur was diverted to the Nedumbassery airport in view of the weather conditions. The flight later landed at the Kannur airport at 1.30 p.m.
With houses suffering extensive damage in the heavy rain, 80 people have been shifted to four relief camps in Kannur while some people moved to homes of their relatives.
Since the onset of the monsoon, 13 houses have been completely destroyed and 242 partially damaged in Kannur district.
Control rooms have been activated round-the-clock in all local bodies. Kannur Collector Arun Vijay Kumar directed Tahsildars and village officers to monitor the situation and take necessary measures.
In Kasaragod district, the Nileswaram river altered course significantly eroding its banks at Kottapuram, Mattummal, and Kadinhimoola. Around 20 coconut trees belonging to local residents were lost to the river.
The Mattummal-Kadinhimoola footbridge sustained damage in the strong river current, rendering it unsafe for travel, prompting revenue officials to prohibit use of the footbridge.
