Government instructed schools and colleges to remain closed as the city affected with flooding.

Heavy rain flooded Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram for the past few days, leading the state’s largest IT park inundated. Rain started pouring from Saturday night and continued leading the district to waterlogging and flooding of streets, roads, and houses mostly in the low-lying areas. The district administration has instructed the schools and colleges to remain closed and directed all the revenue officials to be present in duty coordinating relief activities and control room operations.

The area is witnessing flood-like situations and landslides. Water entered hundreds of homes, submerged vehicles, and forced power disruptions. Rescuers managed to evacuate people from deluged conditions and are moved to relief camps. The Central Water Commission, which coordinates flood forecast and flood information, made warnings as river Neyyar in Kerala and rivers Thambraparni and Kodiyar in neighbouring Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari are flowing in a “severe situation” fabove danger level of 8.0 meters. The rivers Karamana and Vamanapuram are also bare a flood warning.

River #Neyyar at #ARUVIPURAM in #THIRUVANANTHAPURAM district of #Kerala continues to flow in SEVERE SITUATION it was flowing at a level of 8.05 m with #Falling trend which is 0.05 m above its Danger Level of 8.0 m.@MoJSDoWRRDGR @ndmaindia @NDRFHQ @CWCOfficial_GoI @sharadcha1 pic.twitter.com/pJe8XxouMB

— Central Water Commission Official Flood Forecast (@CWCOfficial_FF) October 16, 2023

A review meeting of various cabinet departments was conducted on Sunday and the ministers evaluated the emergency situations. The State General Education Minister V Sivankutty, who participated in the meeting and visited the affected areas told that the city is witnessing an “unusual” condition and added that the sea water rose remains unwilling to recede.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) also issued an orange alert for four southern districts including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha. A yellow alert is also issued for another eight districts.

As the Member of Parliament from the concerned constituency, Shashi Tharoor (senior Congress leader and public intellectual) states, the district received “1295% excess rain in a 24-hour span between Saturday and Sunday”. It resulted a devastating impact on the lives of the natives and the MP urged the authorities to investigate on why the city’s drainage system “has been allowed clogged, with no maintenance or repair”.

Thiruvananthapuram received 1295% excess rain in a 24-hour span between Saturday and Sunday. The impact on life has been devastating. Aside from immediate relief, the authorities must investigate why the city”s drainage system has been allowed to become clogged, with no… pic.twitter.com/spZE5iJxEV

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 16, 2023