The toll due to landslides and flash floods caused by heavy rains in Kerala rose to 27 on Monday, reported Onmanorama.

Fourteen deaths, the highest in any district, were reported from Kottayam. Idukki district recorded 10 fatalities, Thiruvananthapuram two and Kozhikode one. This is the worst rain-related disaster in Kottayam, according to Onmanorama.

The torrential rains are triggered by the formation of a low-pressure area in the Arabian Sea. The weather department has issued a yellow alert, indicating severely bad weather, in 11 out of 14 districts of the state for Monday.

Rescue operations are underway since Sunday when rains triggered two landslides in Idukki and Kottayam districts.

The National Disaster Response Force deployed one team each in the districts of Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram. Five more teams have been directed to be deployed in Idukki, Kottayam, Kollam, Kannur and Palakkad districts.

The Central Water Commission has also issued an orange alert for water levels in Manimala, Kallada, Achankovil, Neyyar and Karamana rivers of the state. Fishing off the coasts in Kerala, Karnataka and Lakshadweep has been completely banned till Monday.

Revenue Minister K Rajan said that a red alert has been issued for 10 dams in the state, reported PTI. Earlier in the day, a state-level expert committee studied the water level to issue directions to the officials.

Rajan and Health Minister Veena George said that two Kakki dam shutters were opened to release water that would increase the level of Pampa river by around 15 cms.

The ministers said the decision as the water level in the dam had risen beyond the danger levels. They said it was done considering heavy rains predicted for Wednesday, which might worsen the situation if some water is not released now.

Rainfall is expected to continue till Wednesday due to a fresh spell of easterly wave, also called tropical wave, that is likely to affect parts of southern India.

Revenue Minister K Rajan has said that pilgrims will not be allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple. He requested people in the the base camp of Nilakkal to return home.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Llama wrote to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, expressing concern over the loss of lives and property due to the rainfall, reported PTI.

“I understand that the state government and concerned authorities are making every effort to provide help to those in need and that relief efforts are well underway,” he added. “As a token of my sympathy, I would like to make a donation from the Dalai Lama Trust towards the rescue and relief efforts.”

Five dead in Uttarakhand 

Five people, including three labourers from Nepal, were killed in Uttarakhand in rain-related incidents, according to PTI.

The Uttarakhand meteorological department has halted Char Dham Yatra as heavy rains continued in Uttarakhand for the second consecutive day on Monday, reported PTI. The annual pilgrimage has been temporarily stayed till Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the weather department issued a red alert, indicating extremely bad weather, in Chamoli district, ANI reported.

The government has stopped passenger vehicles from crossing the Chandrabhaga bridge, Tapovan area, Lakshman Jhoola and Muni-ki-Reti Bhadrakali barriers in Rishikesh.

The weather department has predicted heavy to very heavy rains, lightning, hail storms and high speed winds for all 13 districts of the state till Tuesday.

Other states

Heavy rainfall also lashed several parts of West Bengal, Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi.

Several parts of Delhi and its adjoining areas also saw waterlogging on Monday morning due to heavy rains overnight, NDTV reported.

Delhi recorded 87.9 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am on Sunday and 8.30 am on Monday.

In Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district, a link road from National Highway 5 to Moorang town was blocked due to flash floods, a disaster management official said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister postponed his visit to Khandwa due to the weather, his office said.

West Bengal also witnessed one or two spells of heavy rains, according to PTI. The weather agency has predicted heavy rainfall in all the districts of south Bengal.

Several districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Baghpat, have witnessing waterlogging and disruption in power supply due to the downpour since Sunday.

Odisha government has advised fishermen not to venture into the deep sea till Tuesday and issued an orange alert for some places in Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts.