Heavy rain pounds Kochi, slows down life

Kochi experienced one of its wettest days in recent times, with 478% departure from normal rainfall. It rained for 24 hrs, causing traffic snarls & waterlogging in low-lying areas. Mining operations were banned as a precautionary measure. Despite the heavy showers, the city remained relatively free of flooding due to recent canal works.

Friday turned out to be one of the wettest days for Kochi in recent times as it rained incessantly on the day.

Weather data available with the India Meteorological department (IMD) indicated 478% departure from the normal. On Friday, it rained 57.3 mm against the normal expected level of 9.9 mm, the data indicated.

Heavens opened up above Kochi for almost 24 hours. It all started on Thursday evening and continued till Friday evening hours. After taking short intervals, the showers came back to pound the city hard.

The rain patterns have changed, and one could say that Friday was one of the wettest days considering the rain that the State usually receives during the month of September, said S. Abhilash, Assistant Professor at the Department of Atmospheric Sciences of the Cochin University of Science and Technology.

Though drenched in rain, city life moved ahead at a sluggish pace. The flooded roads and bylanes brought down the pace of vehicles. Technical snags that a few vehicles developed while navigating through the heavy sheets of floodwater and minor accidents on roads resulted in traffic snarls in some parts of the district.

Despite the heavy showers that the city received during the past 24 hours, it remained relatively free of heavy flooding. Waterlogging was reported from some low-lying areas of the city. Bylanes in Kadavanthra, the area near Kavitha theatre, Woodlands Junction, Jose Junction, Palarivattom, Thammanam, Salim Rajan Road, and areas near the KSRTC bus stand experienced flooding.

The rain also inundated Karikkamuri, Vivekananda Road and areas near Monastery Road. However, the floodwaters quickly drained away, thanks to canal works that were completed recently.