Idukki witnessed heavy rainfall on Thursday. According to the district administration, an average of 111.66 mm of rainfall was recorded in the district in the past 24 hours, and the highest rainfall of 148.11 mm was recorded in Peerumade taluk.

According to officials, 250 mm rainfall was recorded at a private plantation named Bison Valley Estate under KCPMC, near Pallikkunnu, in the Kuttikkanam fixed rain gauge from Wednesday 8 a.m. to Thursday 8 a.m. Tyford Estate at Elappara recorded 230 mm of rainfall for the past 24 hours. District administration officials closely monitor the rainfall data shared by the private plantations and issue alerts.

Last year, the Cardamom Planters Federation, an association of cardamom growers in the district, worked alongside the Swaruma Charitable Society, a local NGO, to distribute rain gauges to farmers, enabling the collection of localised rain data. Zachariah Njavalli, general secretary of Swaruma, said they planned to install 150 rain gauges before July 15 in the district.

Water level up at reservoir

Meanwhile, the water level at Idukki reservoir rose to 2,356.06 ft on Thursday, as against 2,331.70 ft on the same day last year.  The catchment areas of the dam recorded 120.40 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours. The power generation in the Moolamattom power plant is at a high level, with 17.118 mu being generated on Wednesday.

The district has been issued a red alert on Friday. The Collector issued an order on Thursday suspending all water-related, trekking, and adventure tourism activities in the district in the wake of a heavy rain alert on Friday. The Collector also declared a holiday for educational institutions, including anganwadi, nurseries, schools, and colleges. Night-time travel and mining activities in the district has been banned and plantation work stopped.