Idukki: Altogether 26 persons have died while several others been evacuated following heavy rain in Kerala since the past week, leading to floods and landslide in various districts.
Idukki, Malappuram, Palghat, Kozhikode, Wayanad and some parts of Kannur are the worst-affected areas in Kerala.
To control the rising water level, the Kerala government on Friday decided to release more water from Idukki water reservoir.
The government has warned that the Periyar river is likely to swell further because of this. A third red alert was issued for the Idukki reservoir, the gates of which were opened on Thursday after 26 years.
On Friday, two more gates of one of the dams of the reservoir were opened to control the swelling water which is nearing its full capacity.
The Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are working on evacuation and relief operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed concern over the situation in the state and spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday. He offered all possible assistance to the affected.
Union Minister KJ Alphons said this is the biggest spell of rain the state has witnessed in five decades.
The south-west monsoon has been vigorous over Kerala resulting in heavy rain in various parts of the state for the past two days.
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