Intermittent rain accompanied by squally winds that lashed Alappuzha since Monday evening destroyed one house in Kuttanad and damaged 34 dwellings in different parts of the district.
The houses that suffered damage were in Chengannur, Karthikappally, Mavelikara and Kuttanad taluks. Though the intensity of rainfall came down in the district on Wednesday, sporadic showers clubbed with an increase in flow of floodwaters from the eastern side led to waterlogging in the Kuttanad and Upper Kuttanad regions. Water levels remained above the warning level at Pallathuruthy, Nedumudi, Mankombu, Champakulam, Kavalam, Neerettupuram, Pallippad and Veeyapuram on Wednesday evening.
Despite the rain threat, people thronged Alappuzha and other major towns in the district for last-minute Onam shopping on Uthradam day. This Onam season saw the return of good times for street vendors, retailers, hoteliers, malls and so on as sales jumped after a pandemic-induced hiatus of two years.
‘Windfall season’
“After a two-year low, there is definitely a revival in consumer sentiment this Onam season. The sheer number of people on the street reflects the festive mood. Compared to 2020 and 2021, it is a windfall Onam season for us,” says a flower seller at Mullakkal Street.
In view of weather warnings, the district administration and the District Tourism Promotion Council have postponed the planned Onam celebrations at Alappuzha beach. A 20-member National Disaster Response Force reached the district on Wednesday. The team would be deployed if needed.
