Kochi airport shut for 4 days as heavy rain pounds Kerala
Kochi airport shut for 4 days as heavy rain pounds Kerala Operations at the Kochi airport have been suspended till Saturday, while flights are being diverted to other airports as the state has been battered by torrential rains since August 8. Kochi airport operations have been temporarily suspended till Saturday 2 pm since the inflow of water is still on a rising trend, a Kochi airport spokesperson said. “We are working hard to drain out the storm water. All are requested to cooperate,” the spokesperson said. The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which decided to suspend the arrival operations at 4 am to 7 am today as a precautionary measure, had earlier said the airport would be shut till 2 pm. It later issued another advisory saying the operations have been suspended till Saturday. Over 1,000 people living on the banks of Periyar river have been shifted to relief camps as a precautionary measure after the Mullaperiyar dam’s shutters were opened and water released through spillway early this morning. Though initially 13 shutters of the dam were opened early by 4.30 am, three were closed and discharge through the spillway reduced to 3,480 cusecs. The water level in the dam has touched 140 feet against its maximum level of 142 feet.
The death toll in Kerala has risen to 44 as there is no let-up in heavy rains. -PTC News
