At least 16 people have died in the last 11 days in Kerala because of heavy rain in many parts. And while the Malabar region in North is completely drenched, the South of Kerala remains fairly dry.
The hopes of hundreds of farmers are lying damaged. After incessant rainfall in Northern Kerala over the last four days, crops worth more than Rs 40 crore have been destroyed. Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force is helping in the relief operation in the worst affected Wayanad, Kasargod, Kannur and Malappuram districts.
"I have asked for assistance from the Ministry of P Chidambaram and Sharad Pawar. The sooner they react, the more effective relief the operation would be," Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said.
The Metrological Department has forecast heavy rainfall in North Kerala for the next 24 hours due to a low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. South Kerala, on the contrary, has recorded 37 per cent less rainfall than normal.
The weatherman has been saying everyday that Thiruvanathapuram will see 'a few spells of rain'. Hopefully, rain up North will let up and pour Southwards. This unusual situation of an erratic monsoon in Kerala is a reminder of the dangers of climate change.
