Kerala minister warns of police action against people following 'flood tourism' trend

"Such activities in flooded areas would not be permitted at all, and if necessary, police assistance would be sought to remove such persons," he said while referring to the reports of one such incident.

As per reports, many people gathered at the spot in Kerala where an elephant was stranded for hours. This allegedly created a problem for the local authorities, PTI reported.

Parts of Kerala have been reeling under floods following incessant rainfall during the week. Some visuals on social media showed a temple in Kerala's Kochi submerged as the water level of the Periyar River increased following incessant rainfall.

#WATCH | Aluva Mahadeva Temple in Kerala's Kochi submerged as the water level of Periyar River increased following incessant rainfall. pic.twitter.com/l3b6Jg92Rk

— ANI (@ANI) August 3, 2022 

On Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert, indicating extremely high rainfall in all the state districts, barring Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Kasaragod, for August 3 and has predicted heavy rainfall in the state till August 5.

Six deaths — one each in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts and three in Kannur — have been reported due to heavy rainfall in the state. With this, total rain-related casualties in the state mounted to 12 — between July 31 and August 2 — the Kerala State Emergency Operations Center (KSEOC) had said.

Besides, three people have also gone missing from various parts of the state during the day, it had said. In view of the heavy rainfall and anticipating landslides, flash floods and other disasters, the state government had also opened 95 relief camps across Kerala where 2,291 people have been relocated, KSEOC had said on Tuesday, PTI reported.

Rajan said that the Kerala government had taken all necessary steps, such as setting up relief camps so that there is no loss of life and people can comfortably wait out the rains. He emphasised that there was no need to be concerned about the flood-prone, low-lying Kuttanad area of the state. However, the authorities are monitoring the situation there.

(With inputs from PTI)