Colleges, schools to remain closed tomorrow as heavy rains lash Thiruvananthapuram

NEW DELHI: Thiruvananthapuram district administration has ordered to close colleges and school on October 16 due to incessant rainfall. Landslides and flooding have been reported from many parts of Kerala, especially its southernmost district of Thiruvananthapuram, in several areas on Sunday.

District collector Geromic George said all educational institutions in Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala will be closed tomorrow i.e. October 16 due to heavy rains.

According to visuals shown on TV channels, the heavy rains since Saturday led to waterlogging and flooding of streets, roads and low-lying areas of Thiruvananthapuram district. The Technopark colony in Kazhakootam, a suburban area in the district, saw water entering homes leading to people being evacuated from homes, as per the visuals. Water entered hundreds of homes in the district and in some areas there were also incidents of landslides, according to the visuals.

Visuals also showed cars almost submerged while rescuers evacuated people from homes in inflatable boats to camps in some parts of Thiruvananthapuram. State general education minister V Sivankutty, who visited the flooded areas, said in a Facebook post that the rains since the previous night have created an unusual situation in the city of Thiruvananthapuram.

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He said there was waterlogging in many places and the non-receding of the rising sea water has also aggravated the situation. The minister said the district administration was conducting relief operations on a wartime basis and all kinds of the aid and assistance would be provided to those affected.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan also visited some of the flood affected areas, according to his Facebook post. After a ministerial level meeting was held, Sivankutty, at a press briefing, said many parts of Thiruvananthapuram, especially the capital city, have been seriously affected by floods and waterlogging. Rajan said that over 100 mm of rainfall was received in the capital city and nearly double that in the area around the international airport since Saturday night. (with inputs from PTIs)