Monsoon fury in Kerala: One dead in well collapse, severe crop damage and infrastructure losses reported

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Heavy rainfall and fierce winds battered several parts of Kerala yesterday, triggering widespread destruction across the state through landslides, uprooted trees, and structural collapses. The northern districts bore the brunt of the severe weather, though widespread downpours were reported across southern regions as well.

The inclement weather turned fatal in Palakkad, where a forty-three-year-old resident, identified as Ramdas, lost his life after a well collapsed in Kuzhalmannam. The incident occurred around 11:00 AM while he was cleaning the structure. Debris from the well's concrete retaining wall crumbled and fell directly onto him.
In the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram, a major disaster was averted when a wall adjacent to a classroom at the Pattom Government Girls Higher Secondary School collapsed around 7:00 AM. Since the incident occurred before school hours, no students were present. The institution had recently hosted the state-level school reopening festival.

Structural damage and uprooted trees disrupted normalcy in several other districts. In Erumappetty, Thrissur, a coconut tree crashed onto a residential building, though no casualties were reported. A massive banyan tree was uprooted outside the Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Kudal, Pathanamthitta, during the early hours of Monday. In Fort Kochi, a large tree fell near the guest house, crushing multiple shops beneath it. Similar incidents of trees damaging homes were reported in Kottayam and Thrissur. In Kumbla, Kasaragod, a residential compound wall collapsed. Meanwhile, a retaining wall at a real estate plot along the Kazhakkoottam-Karoor bypass caved in, leaving an adjacent house in a precarious position. Amid escalating fears of landslides, authorities have temporarily banned entry to major tourist destinations across the state.

The agricultural sector has taken a severe hit from the unrelenting deluge. Preliminary assessments indicate that crops across 1,779 hectares have been destroyed over the past week, resulting in an estimated initial loss of 851.65 lakh rupees.
The Central Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts today, warning of extremely heavy rainfall. An orange alert is currently in place for Malappuram and Wayanad districts, while a yellow alert has been sounded for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Iduki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Palakkad.