Even as life and traffic limped back to normalcy on the eastern high-ranges of Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts, the run-off water from the upper reaches continued to unsettle more families in the low-lying parts the districts on Thursday.
With water entering more parts of its backwater landscape, the authorities have opened 57 relief camps in Kottayam where 1,450 people from 460 families have been accommodated. The number of camps in Pathanamthitta rose to 52 and of these, 44 camps are in the upper Kuttanad region in the Thiruvalla taluk. As many as 1,616 people from 466 families have been shifted to these centres.
Two dead
A 17 year old, identified as Aditya Biju, drowned while bathing in a rainwater-filled pond near Thrikkodithanam, Changanassery, on Thursday. At Aymanom, a 73-year-old man, identified as Bhanu Kurumban, lost his life after he accidentally fell into an inundated waterbody
Several roads in the low-lying regions of both the districts, including the Kottayam -Cherthala road and the Thiruvalla-Ambalappuzha State Highway, remained waterlogged, effectively bringing public life to a complete halt. A few parts of the Main Central Road at Thirumoolapuram too remained flooded.
In Pathanamthitta, the Pampa river breached its banks near Eraviperoor and several families were sifted to relief camps. The Manimala river too entered the residential areas on its banks before retreating to its original course.
Water level in the Meenachil and Manimala rivers remained well above the danger levels though it remained relatively stable throughout the day. The Central Water Commission has issued flood warnings for people residing on the banks of the Pampa and Achencoil rivers in Pathanamthitta.
Despite the rise in inflow, storage at all major dams in Pathanamthitta remained well below their capacity.
Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan convened a high-level meeting in Kottayam to assess the damage caused by rain and review the operation of relief camps. In Pathanamthitta, Health Minister Veena George and District Collector Divya S. Iyer visited various camps and supervised their functioning.
Earlier in the day, the authorities had restored traffic along several roads in the eastern parts of Pathanamthitta which were blocked by widespread uprooting of trees. To ensure the safety of the public, a ban on travel to the high ranges and tourism activities such as boating and paddling has been imposed in the district.
An order has been issued asking department heads not to leave the district headquarters and government employees have been asked not to abstain from duty till further orders. The functioning of quarries and all mining operations too have been suspended temporarily.
The farmers in Pathanamthitta are estimated to have suffered losses to the tune of ₹1.78 crore during the current bout of rain. Loss of crops was reported on 179 hectares, which affected 909 farmers. Thirty-one houses were damaged during this period.
Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts received 284.7 mm and 290.7 mm rain respectively during the past four days.
