Kerala Floods: State on red alert, Kochi Airport shut

As of the morning of August 15, a total of 33 dams, in a bid to combat rising water levels, had already opened their sluice gates leading to widespread flooding in adjacent areas.

Adding to more chances of flooding, heavy rains with winds gusting up to 60kmph are expected in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, and Thrissur districts.

The situation looks particularly bad for Idukki and Ernakulam districts.

With the Mullaperiyar dam increasingly opening its shutters, the crisis in Idukki is deepening.

Meanwhile, as of 11am, the Idukki reservoir was releasing 15 lakh liters of water per second, adding to the crisis.

Ernakulam, which is bearing the brunt of the releases, is currently inundated on both the sides of the Periyar river.

Almost all rivers in Kerala are currently in spate, and landslides and floods continue to be reported from multiple areas in different districts.

Over 10,000km of roads have been damaged or destroyed across Kerala, and thousands have been displaced.

An estimated 60,000 people are now in relief camps, and the death toll has climbed to at least 44. Several people are missing too.

Explaining the reason behind the rains, senior IMD scientist Dr Mrityunjay Mohapatra said, "Whenever there is a low-pressure system, the Southwest monsoon winds gather speed and try to reach the low-pressure area."

As a result, moist winds crash into the Western Ghats and form clouds in country's Western part including Kerala, he added.

Private weather forecaster Skymet agreed with IMD's prediction.