Continuous rain slows down life in Ernakulam district

No loss of life reported; rice paddies and vegetable fields flooded

From Chellanam panchayat on the Kochi coast to Kuttampuzha panchayat about 71 km east of Kochi sharing border with Tamil Nadu, heavy and light spells of rain throughout Saturday slowed down life in Ernakulam district. While no loss of life has been reported, the rainwaters, especially in the eastern areas, have flooded rice paddies and vegetable fields and disrupted traffic.

Vazhakulam town near Muvattupuzha, about 40 km east of Kochi and the heart of Kerala’s pineapple belt, was flooded, said Ullas Thomas, president of Ernakulam district panchayat. He said the Muvattupuzha-Thodupuzha road was flooded at Vazhakulam and only heavy vehicles were able to negotiate the floodwaters. He said the waterlogging was the result of torrential rain that began from the early hours of Saturday even as the weather records showed Muvattupuzha received 29 mm of rain between 8.30 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. on Saturday.

The Kochi Corporation area has not seen any major disruption in life due to the rain. No serious flooding has been reported from any part of the city till about 5 p.m. on Saturday, said Henry Austin, member of the development standing committee. He said minor issues had cropped up in some of the areas, which had seen similar problems in the past.