Heavy rains batter Kerala: Roads and railways disrupted, crops worth crores destroyed

New Indian Express

27-05-2025

Torrential monsoon rains accompanied by gusty winds continued to lash Kerala on Tuesday, disrupting road and rail traffic, flooding low-lying areas, and damaging crops worth crores of rupees.
The incessant downpour over the past four days has battered agricultural land, particularly in the high ranges, and triggered incidents of uprooted trees, house wall collapses, and electrical short circuits across the state.
Since the onset of the monsoon last week on May 24, three casualties have been reported, prompting the state government to open a dozen relief camps in affected districts, officials said.
In Wayanad, 242.74 hectares of farmland have been destroyed due to rains, flooding and strong winds, while agricultural crops in 101.47 hectares of land have been lost in neighbouring Kozhikode district, authorities said.
The falling of uprooted trees on railway tracks has caused great concern in northern districts since last night. Several trains are running four to five hours behind schedule due to blockages caused by fallen trees.
An electric line fell upon the track in the Kozhikode-Areekode route following the uprooting of a huge tree, authorities said. It took a few hours for the authorities to clear the track and restore normal train traffic on the route.
According to railway sources, many trains, including Thiruvananthapuram-bound Vande Bharat Express and Parasuram Express, reached their destinations late.
State Public Works Department Minister PA Mohammed Riyas visited the railway tracks near Kozhikode to assess the damage and said the railways had been alerted to manage trees along the tracks.
'Meetings and review sessions with people's representatives were held as early as April. However, this time the weather has changed drastically, which is part of the challenge,' he said.
According to the local meteorological office, heavy rainfall was recorded Tuesday morning in Thrissur, Kozhikode, and Kannur districts, with Vellanikara in Thrissur reporting the highest rainfall at 114.7 mm, followed by 113.4 mm in Kozhikode city and 113.2 mm in Kannur.