Kerala drenched: Rivers rise, hills shiver as orange alert looms

The monsoon has returned to Kerala with renewed fury, drenching the high ranges and swelling its rivers as heavy rain lashed multiple districts through Sunday, 19 October.

From the mist-wrapped hills of Idukki to the flooded plains of Ernakulam, nature’s rhythm has turned fierce and unrelenting.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded an orange alert in six districts — Ernakulam, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod — warning of “very heavy” rainfall between 11 and 20 cm in 24 hours. The remaining eight districts remain under a yellow alert, while the Lakshadweep islands too brace for turbulent skies under a fresh orange alert.

Idukki, the hill district that often bears the brunt of the monsoon’s might, has once again become the epicentre of distress. Reports of flooding and mudslides poured in from Nedumkandam, Kumily, and Kattappana through Saturday night and early Sunday, as surging waters breached homes and shops. District officials said several families were moved to relief camps as the rain showed no sign of abating.

Adding to the anxiety, the Mullaperiyar dam recorded a steady rise in water levels — touching 139.30 feet at 5 am — prompting the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department to open 13 spillway shutters by 100 cm. Around 1,400 cusecs of water are now being released, while three other dams in Idukki too have begun discharging excess flow.

In Ernakulam, torrential downpours turned roads into rivulets near the busy Junction railway station, where ongoing renovation work compounded the flooding woes. The district administration has been placed on high alert as river levels continue to climb.

Elsewhere, Pathanamthitta, Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Kannur also recorded heavy rainfall. In Malappuram, floodwaters swept into farmlands, leaving behind damaged crops and anxious farmers counting their losses.

With the sea turning rough and winds howling off the coast, authorities have urged fishermen to keep their boats ashore until 22 October. As Kerala once again finds itself at the mercy of the monsoon, its people brace for yet another test of endurance — one written in rain, resilience, and rising waters.

With PTI inputs