Keralam, AUGUST 1: Extremely heavy rainfall measuring up to 361 mm within 24 hours triggered a series of severe landslides and debris flows across southern districts in Keralam, resulting in four confirmed fatalities. According to official reports, two deaths occurred in Idukki district and two in Kottayam district following intense precipitation that hit slope-cut residential zones and road infrastructure overnight.
Addressing the situation, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) Member Secretary Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose described the unprecedented downpour as a cloudburst, noting that the weather activity primarily occurred between 10 PM and early morning hours. He maintained that public awareness and early warnings played a significant role in keeping casualty figures low despite the intensity of the storm.
“So essentially, what we have seen is fatality numbers are very low, thankfully. We have two deaths reported from Idukki and two from Kottayam,” Kuriakose stated. He expanded on the scope of the downpour, declaring, “Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki experienced extremely heavy rainfall measuring up to 361 mm at places in the last maybe 24 hours or so. Much of the rain spell was after about 10 o’clock at night and until the early morning. That has caused a number of landslides in slope-cut faces where there are roads and houses and all that. And we have also seen some debris flows happening here and there. It’s just a cloudburst, that’s it. Nothing else, nothing big”.
Providing a forward-looking weather assessment, Kuriakose affirmed that the heavy spell in the southern region had largely subsided and was progressing northward toward districts ranging from Thrissur to Kasaragod. Officials anticipate significant rainfall across the northern belt through Sunday before a period of relief sets in.
Rescue and support operations have been mobilized across affected areas, with nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams positioned in critical locations such as Pathanamthitta, Idukki, and Alappuzha. Thousands of local volunteers, including 10,000 Aapda Mitra members and Civil Defence personnel, are working in close coordination with state Fire and Rescue services. Referring to the emergency ground response, Kuriakose asserted, “They all work in tandem with the fire and rescue service, and they coordinate. So while the might of fire and rescue is seen to be undermined many a time, they are our workhorses, you know. They are the ones who are really extending their arms to every part of Kerala. NDRFs are essentially meant for the last mile, you know, that extra edge when you have difficulties in cutting across certain places”.
To ensure medical preparedness, Keralam Health Minister K Muraleedharan instructed the Health Department to convene an urgent online review conference with senior health administrators, District Medical Officers, and National Health Mission programme managers. Led by Health Department Director Meenakshi, the meeting focuses on evaluating relief camp operations, organizing local medical resources, and determining district-specific interventions.
