Kerala rains: Orange alert issued, polling stations flooded, rains likely to continue for the next two days

Kerala, God’s Own Country, seems to be under the wrath of the rain gods! The beautiful south Indian state is once again under the spell of heavy rains that has disrupted the lives of people badly. As per weather department in last 24 hours, Kochi has recorded 68.2 mm of rainfall, Alappuzha 58.9 mm, Kozhikode 42.4 mm and Trivandrum 19 mm.
On Monday, due to heavy downpour, the Met Dept. had to issue an orange alert for 12 districts in Kerala. The movement of trains were also disturbed through low-lying areas. The state government had to put the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams on alert in Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta.

As far as the elections are concerned, Ernakulam and Konni constituencies were the worst-affected and only 4.9 percent and 11.5 percent voting (till 9 AM), respectively. While the other places such as Vatiyoorkavu, Aroor and Manjeswaram recorded only 11.5 per cent, 12.8 per cent, and 16.5 per cent respectively
Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of the state, asked people to be careful and said, "Prepare for more downpours. Heavy rain has increased across most parts of the State. We are closely monitoring the situation. Follow instructions from local officials. Listen to instructions regarding evacuation or sheltering. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.”

Kochi, Ernakulam South, Panambilli Nagar and Ayyappankavu are badly waterlogged and government has opened three camps in Ernakulam district to relocate affected people.

The rain in Kerala is likely to continue for the next two days, according to the weather department.