THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/ KOCHI: Rains in many parts of south Kerala on Monday morning have brought great relief to the people reeling under unprecedented drought like situation. The cities of Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi witnessed heavy rains in the early morning, while many parts of Idukki and Kottayam have also seen showers. A cloudy weather throughout the day also indicated the chances of further rains. Although the rains came as a great relief, it would not help much in improving abysmal storage levels in the dams in the state.
The city of Thiruvananthapuram received around 33 mm rains. Many city households reported an improved level of water in open wells. The city recorded 32.8 mm whereas the International Airport got 24.8 mm rain. Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts the possibility of showers until Wednesday. The catchment areas of Peppara and Neyyar dams, the main sources of water supply in the city, were not benefited much from the rains, say Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and irrigation officials. Aruvikkara area, however, received showers.
The water level in Peppara dam stood at 98.65 metres on Monday, compared to 100.80 metres on February 14, while in Neyyar, the water level was at 75.35 metres against 77.1 metres on February 21. Varkala area topped in the state as it received 1.34 cm rain. Thrissur district also witnessed good rains in the day. Kochi city and its surrounding areas received rains for nearly two hours in the early morning. Although some of the low-lying areas in the city looked flooded, the water soon drained out thanks to the clearing of the drains a few days ago. The rains in the high range district of Idukki came as a great relief to farmers and forest officials. The farmers are happy that crops such as pepper, cardamom and coffee will get some respite from the drought situation while forest officials heaved a sigh of relief amidst the threat of wildfire.
