Kannur:

There were cracks reported near the NH construction near the hill slopes in many parts of Kasaragod and Kannur districts. A red alert is being issued in both the districts which witnessed extensive rainfall on May 20. IMD has predicted that heavy downpour will continue in the Malabar districts till May 23.

As heavy rains lashed across the state, cracks and collapses in the under-construction National Highway (NH66) raised serious concerns among the public and the authorities. Three major incidents of national highway road sections collapse was witnessed in the span of 48 hours. Heavy rains also led to cracks in under construction roads near Kanhangad and other parts of Kasaragod.

“We are looking into the matter very seriously and will ensure the necessary structural changes are made at the concerned stretches where cracks are developed”, said Mohammed Riyas, PWD minister, Kerala.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the recent landslips and collapses along under-construction national highways as unfortunate and has told the reporters that discussions will be held with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) authorities to assess whether the construction had been made in accordance with the natural terrain of the particular area.

In recent years, the monsoon has reached Kerala on May 30 (2023), June 8 (2022), May 29 (2021), June 3 (2020), June 1 (2019), June 8 (2018), and May 29 (2017).

In its seasonal outlook released in April, the IMD had forecast above-normal cumulative rainfall for the 2025 monsoon season and ruled out the development of El Niño conditions, which are typically associated with suppressed rainfall over India.

The southwest monsoon is expected to reach Kerala within the next four to five days, marking an early onset well ahead of the usual June 1 date, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday. The IMD had earlier predicted that the monsoon would make landfall in Kerala by May 27. If the current forecast holds, this would be the earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009, when the monsoon arrived on May 23.

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