Rains batter Kerala, Periyar dam water rises

The water level in the Mullapperiyar dam rose to the maximum limit of 136 ft as rains continued.

Heavy rains continued to batter many parts of Kerala on Sunday causing massive crops and property loss and the water level in the Mullapperiyar dam on Tamil Nadu borders in Idukki district rose to the maximum limit of 136 feet.

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Nearly 100 families in Kottayam district were shifted to relief camps as torrential rains brought low-lying areas under water damaging about 160 houses.

Parts of Malappuram district also bore the brunt of the monsoon fury with Chaliyar river in spate and low-lying areas getting inundated.

With the water level rising to 136 ft, the spillway shutters of Mullapperiyar dam were opened to allow the flow into the Idukki dam.

One person was injured as a portion of a church building collapsed at Karunapuram near Nedunkadam in Idukki district. Road traffic was disrupted in some parts of the district as mounds of earth slipped and choked roads.

Continuous rains lashing the district for the last one week hit the plantation workers severely as work in estates have come to a standstill.

Revenue Minister KM Mani instructed district collectors to monitor the situation closely and gear up relief machinery.