IMD issues orange alert for parts of Kerala amid heavy rains

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 20 : India Meteorological Department on Wednesday continued its orange alert warning following heavy rains in Kerala.
"The India Meteorological Department (IMD), has sounded an orange alert for Kottayam Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, and other districts. Other districts that have been issued with an orange alert include Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts," said an official statement by the weather agency today.
Places falling on the banks of the Periyar river have been put on high alert by the Ernakulam district administration as the water released from the Idukki dam has reached flood-prone areas of Aluva in Kochi on Wednesday morning.
As a precautionary measure in view of the torrential rains in Kerala, three shutters of the Idukki dam were opened at 11 am on Tuesday, releasing around one lakh litres of water per second from the Idukki dam.
Meanwhile, Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Tuesday said that the water level of the Periyar river is below the danger level at present.
Speaking to ANI, Krishnankutty said, "Since the Idukki and Idamalayar dams were opened, I came here to see the present condition of the Periyar river. We have nothing to worry about now."
According to official estimates, heavy rains in Kerala have claimed the lives of 27 people. Of these, 14 deaths were reported in the Kottayam district, 10 in the Idukki district, and one each in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode districts.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued an orange alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, and other districts for today in rain-battered Kerala.
Other districts that have been issued with an orange alert include Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts. A yellow alert has been sounded in Kasargod, Alapuzha and Kollam district for October 20.