GVMC steps up measures to tackle drinking water scarcity in Vizag

A man holds a fishing line in the Periyar River amid monsoon rain in Kochi on Wednesday. | Life slowly returned to normalcy in the affected areas of Muvattupuzha and Kothamangalam, where torrential rain had resulted in significant damage over the past five days. Water levels in the Muvattupuzha and Thodupuzha rivers remained below the warning level, according to information provided by the district administration. The day passed without much rain-related trouble.The Muvattupuahza river recorded a water level of 10.2 metres against the warning level of 10.92 metres. In the Thodupuzha river, the water level was 10.09 metres against the warning level of 10.78 metres. In the Kaliyar river, the water level was 11.13 metres against the warning level of 13.10 metres.The India Meteorological department issued a yellow alert for the district as per the district rainfall forecast for Kerala and Lakshadweep issued at 1 p.m on Wednesday.Shibu Thekkumpuram, MLA, Kothamangalam, said the rain situation in the region eased on Wednesday, except for a minor spell in the afternoon. Those in camps have started returning home and the overall situation remained under control, he said.Mayor V.K. Minimol said the situation within the Corporation limits remained normal. The pre-monsoon initiatives, including desilting of major canals, helped in checking waterlogging, she said. Published - August 05, 2026 10:25 pm IST

Farmers have been advised to drain excess water from fields as soon as the rains subside and begin preventive plant protection measures without delay. | K. NAJEEB With heavy rain continuing to lash Kerala, the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has issued a comprehensive advisory urging farmers to act swiftly to protect crops from waterlogging and a surge in bacterial and fungal diseases triggered by the prolonged wet spell.According to the university, persistent rainfall coupled with high humidity has created ideal conditions for the spread of several diseases affecting major crops across the State. Farmers have been advised to drain excess water from fields as soon as the rains subside and begin preventive plant protection measures without delay.Paddy fields are particularly vulnerable to bacterial leaf blight under the prevailing weather conditions. As a preventive measure, KAU has recommended spraying a solution containing 20 g of Pseudomonas and 20 ml of fresh cow dung extract per litre of water over the crop.The university has also advised farmers to place 2 kg of bleaching powder per acre in 20 cloth bags of 100 g each and suspend them at different locations in standing water across the field. Farmers should avoid sprinkling bleaching powder directly into paddy fields, it added.Banana plantations face an increased risk of rhizome rot due to water stagnation. Farmers have been asked to ensure proper drainage around each plant and apply five litres of a solution prepared with 20 g of Pseudomonas per litre of water around the base of every plant as a preventive treatment. Plants showing severe infection should be uprooted and destroyed immediately to prevent the disease from spreading.The university has also warned that the current weather is likely to favour the outbreak of quick wilt in black pepper, Mahali disease in arecanut and leaf fall disease in nutmeg. Farmers have been advised to prevent waterlogging, collect and destroy infected leaves and dried twigs, and spray a 1% Bordeaux mixture after the rains have stopped and the foliage has dried.Vegetable crops, including tomato, chilli, brinjal, okra, cowpea, bitter gourd, snake gourd and cucumber, are also at high risk of root rot, wilt, leaf spot and fruit rot during the ongoing rainy spell.To minimise losses, KAU has recommended improving drainage, removing infected plant parts and applying a solution containing 20 g of Pseudomonas per litre of water both as a foliar spray and as a soil drench. Creeper crops such as bitter gourd and cowpea should be properly supported to ensure that fruits do not come into contact with the soil, thereby reducing the risk of infection.The university has also cautioned farmers against spraying pesticides or fungicides during rainfall. Plant protection measures should be carried out only after the rain has stopped and the crop foliage has dried sufficiently to ensure better coverage and more effective disease control. Published - August 04, 2026 07:22 pm IST

Floodwaters on the Kanjikuzhi-Thiruvanchoor road following heavy rain in Kottayam on Monday (August 3, 2026) | 30 am on Tuesday (August 4, 2026), according to the the India Meteorological Department (IMD).Bayar in Kasaragod recorded the highest rainfall in the State at 121.5 mm between 3 am on August 3 and midnight, IMD said.Muliyar, also in Kasaragod, received 81 mm, while Kannur Airport recorded 74 mm. Urumi in Kozhikode received 65 mm.Among other places that witnessed significant rainfall, Cheruvanchery in Kannur and RARS Pilicode in Kasaragod recorded 59.5 mm each. Neriamangalam in Ernakulam received 59 mm of rain.The IMD considers rainfall of 60 mm and above in 24 hours as heavy rainfall.According to the latest official update, water levels in the Muvattupuzha and Thodupuzha rivers continued to remain above the warning level on Tuesday morning, though the levels were receding.At 8 am, the water level in the Muvattupuzha river stood at 11.60 metres, above the warning level of 10.92 metres and close to the danger mark of 11.93 metres. Officials said the water level was falling.The Thodupuzha river recorded a water level of 11.50 metres at 8 am. The warning level for the river is 10.78 metres, while the danger mark is 11.79 metres.Meanwhile, the Kaliyar river was flowing at 12.26 metres, below its warning level of 13.10 metres and danger level of 14.10 metres.The water levels of these rivers were also reported to be receding.Authorities are continuing to monitor the rivers and have advised people living along the banks to remain alert as the monsoon continues to bring rain to several parts of the State. Published - August 04, 2026 11:40 am IST

DMK MP P. Wilson speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. | They also held a protest outside the Parliament on the issue. Parliament Monsoon Session: Follow LIVE updates on August 3, 2026The protest is centred on the alleged violation of the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s directives, which dictates that Tamil Nadu should receive 9.9 TMC of water in June and 32 TMC in July, bringing the total to 42 TMC. However, the State has “not received a single drop” thus far in 2026. The Tamil Nadu government has also approached the Supreme Court on the issue. “The original demand of 7,000 cusecs based on the already existing backlog has to be released to us. We wanted the House to debate and pass a resolution on this,” Rajya Sabha MP P. Wilson said.DMK MPs carried placards in both Houses of Parliament. In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan named Mr. Wilson, among others, for carrying the placard. When their plea for a debate was ignored, the DMK MPs staged a walk-out. Mr. Wilson also blamed the Congress for ignoring the issue that he said affected nearly everyone in Tamil Nadu. “The Congress is not bothered about the problems of the Tamil Nadu. They are only talking about other issues, so we have brought to the attention of the Parliament that this issue has to be, you know, sorted out by the Union government,” the DMK MP said. Published - August 03, 2026 10:22 pm IST

M.V. Satish, adviser to CMD, Larsen & Toubro Ltd.; P. Ravichandran, chairman, Cll Southern Region; Chief Economic Adviser Anantha Nageswaran; and C. Devarajan, chairman, CIl Tamil Nadu, at Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Summit 2026 on Monday. | R. Raghunathan Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India V. Anantha Nageswaran on Monday said water should be treated as infrastructure that “must be planned, built, and paid for”. He called for a policy that did not price water at zero and treat it as limitless. Mr. Nageswaran said the floor space index (FSI) was far below what other cities around the world allowed.Addressing the special plenary session of CII Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Summit 2026 in Chennai, Mr. Nageswaran said: “The answer is to treat water the way we have finally learnt to treat roads and power: as infrastructure that must be planned, built, and paid for. We need a water buffer storage so that a good monsoon carries us through a bad one.”He further said: “We price water at zero, so we treat it as limitless. So we waste it, and we underbuild for it. And then, we are shocked when it runs out. The thing we call free is the thing we destroy. This is not a paradox. It is a policy choice, and it can be chosen differently.”Mr. Nageswaran also listed the floor space index as the second trap, one that was less visible than the first. “We hold the floor space index — the amount one may build on a given plot — far below what other cities around the world allow. If we cannot build upward, we spread outward. Every square metre of built space then ends up carrying more land beneath it, and land grows scarce and also dearer. When land is that dear, the cheapest plot left is often an old tank or a filled-in pond, the very catchment that once held our water,” he said.“Underpricing does not help the poor. It helps whoever already holds the connection. The household with the piped supply pays a pittance. The household without one buys from the tanker at several times the rate. Cheap water for the connected is, in effect, a subsidy that reaches the comfortable more than the poor it is meant to help. If we get the pricing honest, the genuinely vulnerable can be protected directly and, more precisely, the asset earns enough to reach those who do not yet have it, he added.C. Devarajan, chairman, CII Tamil Nadu & Managing Director URC Construction (P) Ltd.; Mohan Ramanathan, convener of T.N. Infrastructure Panel and Managing Director, Advanced Construction Technologies Private Ltd.; P. Ravichandran, chairman, CII Southern Region, and president, Danfoss India; M.V. Satish, adviser to Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), Larsen & Toubro Ltd.; and J. Murugavel, vice chairman, CII Tamil Nadu, and Founder & CEO, Matrimony.com, participated. Published - August 04, 2026 12:57 am IST

Members of farmers’ organisations staging a protest with empty pots, outside the City Corporation office in Kalaburagi on Monday. | The protesters, including members of the Karnataka Pranth Raitha Sangha, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and the All India Kisan Sabha, alleged that several localities in the city were facing severe water scarcity due to declining groundwater levels amid drought conditions, forcing residents to depend on private water tankers.Activists Sharanabasappa Mamshetty and Maula Mulla accused the L&T company-operated water supply project of failing to ensure a regular and safe drinking water supply despite being in operation for several years and sought action against the company for alleged negligence.The agitators raised concerns over unfilled roadworks made for pipeline works, poor sanitation, open drains and inadequate civic amenities. They also submitted a memorandum addressed to the Urban Development Minister through the City Corporation Commissioner, urging the authorities to take immediate steps to ensure an uninterrupted water supply, repair drainage networks, and provide drought relief to the district. Published - August 03, 2026 10:56 pm IST

Home News India Kerala Though rain intensity has subsided, moderate heavy rain continues to affect Kerala. IMD upgrades rain alert to orange in 10 districts Updated - August 03, 2026 12:28 pm IST Continuous rain that began on Sunday night persisted across Kochi on Monday (August 3, 2026) morning. | Vibhu Although the intensity of the rain has subsided, moderate heavy rain continues to affect the State, disrupting normal pace of life in areas that witnessed torrential downpours over the past two days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded the rain alert for Kerala from yellow to orange on Monday (August 3, 2026), warning of intense heavy rainfall. Except for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Thrissur, and Palakkad districts, the entire State has been placed under an orange alert.Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has chaired an online emergency meeting to assess the situation arising from the continued rains.A flash flood warning has been issued for Pathanamthitta, where intense rainfall was recorded over the past couple of days. A holiday has been declared for educational institutions in 12 districts on Monday — Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha.August 03, 2026 12:28 Health Minister accuses Opposition of politicising disasterKerala Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has accused the Opposition of trying to derive political mileage from the ongoing flood situation by raising allegations against the government, and asserted that relief and disease-prevention measures were being carried out effectively.Speaking to reporters, the Minister said the Health Department was taking measures to prevent the outbreak and spread of diseases in relief camps and affected areas. Rejecting allegations that relief camps were facing a shortage of medicines, Mr. Muraleedharan said the government had not received any such complaint.“There are medicines. No shortage of medicine has been reported anywhere in the camps. Medicines have been delivered wherever required and there is enough stock of the medicines currently needed,” he said. - PTIAugust 03, 2026 12:26 Rain triggers landslip at Panakkad in MalappuramAugust 03, 2026 12:23 Water level of major rivers in Ernakulam crosses warning markKerala rains: Water level of major rivers in Ernakulam crosses warning markHeavy rains in Kerala have raised river levels in Ernakulam, prompting alerts for residents near Muvattupuzha, Thodupuzha, and Kaliyar rivers.August 03, 2026 12:11 Rain brings down resort retaining wall at Panchalimedu, two cars damagedWhatsApp Image 2026-08-03 at 11.36.06.jpegA retaining wall of a resort at the Panchalimedu tourism centre near Peermade in Idukki collapsed on Sunday evening following heavy rain, damaging two parked cars.- special arrangementAugust 03, 2026 12:08 News cameraman has narrow escape after landslipAugust 03, 2026 12:01 IMD's district-wise rainfall forecastWhatsApp Image 2026-08-03 at 11.50.09.jpegAugust 03, 2026 11:18 CM chairs emergency meeting August 03, 2026 11:17 Rain triggers landslip at Panakkad in Malappuram; highway blockedRain triggers landslip at Panakkad in Kerala’s Malappuram; highway blockedKerala rains cause landslip at Panakkad, blocking highway and disrupting traffic; authorities warn of further slope failures.August 03, 2026 10:58 High-level meeting reviews Kerala rain situationWhatsApp Image 2026-08-03 at 10.39.47.jpegA high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan to review the rain situation in Kerala progresses on Monday morning.- special arrangementAugust 03, 2026 10:54 Heavy rainfall continues in Idukki, dam water levels riseKerala rains: Heavy rainfall continues in Idukki, dam water levels riseHeavy rains in Idukki, Kerala, lead to rising dam levels, travel bans, and closed tourism centers amid mudslide threats.August 03, 2026 10:34 Death toll rises to 11, over 7,600 people in relief campsKerala floods 202

File image of the Kakkayam dam and its premises. Photo: Handout A red alert remains active at the Kakkayam dam in Kozhikode district, where water levels have reached near-maximum capacity following heavy rainfall over the past two days.​The reservoir, which forms a part of the Kuttiyadi Hydroelectric Project, continues to experience tremendous inflow. To manage the rising water, engineers opened two spillway gates on Sunday (August 2, 2026), both of which at present remain open by 0.25 feet to safely discharge water downstream, an official release said.​Official measurements recorded at 7 a.m. on Monday (August 3, 2026) place the water level at 757.67 metres (2,485.8 feet), just short of its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 758.05 metres. Total storage now stands at 33.0672 million cubic metres, representing 97.31 per cent of overall capacity.​Data from the past 24 hours underlines the severity of the inflow. The reservoir received 5.9241 million cubic metres of incoming water over the period.In response, 0.4793 million cubic metres was released through the spillways, while 3.3123 million cubic metres was used for power generation, yielding 4.6831 million units of electricity.​The current figures mark a notable increase compared to the same period last year, when the water level stood at 756.21 metres and storage was at 86.55% (29.4097 million cubic metres).​The rapid surge follows intense weather across the catchment area. The Kakkayam region recorded 104 millimetres of rainfall in the last 24 hours alone, bringing the cumulative total since June 1 to 2,990 millimetres.​Meanwhile, officials confirmed that the control shaft gate connecting from the Banasura dam in Wayanad has remained fully shut since 11:15 am on June 29 to avoid diverting additional water into the system.​District authorities are closely monitoring the situation closely, and residents along the downstream riverbanks have been advised to remain alert while spillway discharges continue. Published - August 03, 2026 09:18 am IST

File image of Kabini reservoir. | Following heavy rainfall over the past few days in Karnataka, the Karnataka government began releasing Cauvery water from the Kabini Dam on Saturday (August 1). Officials had initially expected the water to reach Tamil Nadu by Sunday (August 2) evening. However, the flow has been delayed as the water is moving slowly through the dry Cauvery riverbed.WRD officials at the Mettur Dam said water was first released from the Kabini Dam at 500 cusecs on Saturday (August 1) morning. The discharge was gradually increased to 5,000 cusecs in the afternoon before reaching 25,000 cusecs by Saturday night.They said the dry riverbed had absorbed a significant amount of the released water, slowing its downstream movement. As a result, the water is now expected to reach the Mettur Dam on Monday (August 3) night or Tuesday.“We expect the present discharge of 25,000 cusecs to continue for the next few days. If the Mettur Dam receives 25,000 cusecs of inflow for an entire day, the water level will rise by about four feet. Once the reservoir level crosses 90 feet, the government will decide on releasing water from the dam for delta irrigation,” WRD officials said.Officials said Tamil Nadu is likely to receive a substantial quantity of Cauvery water only after the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam fills up. The dam is yet to reach capacity. At present, the reservoir holds around 20 tmc ft of water against its storage capacity of 49.45 tmc ft.“If the current spell of rain continues, the KRS Dam is expected to reach capacity within the next 10 days. Thereafter, surplus water from Karnataka is expected to flow into the Mettur Dam,” the officials added.On Sunday (August 2), the water level at the Mettur Dam stood at 73.33 feet against its full reservoir level of 120 feet. The storage stood at 35.63 tmc ft, compared with the dam’s capacity of 93.47 tmc ft. Inflow into the reservoir increased to 47 cusecs from 42 cusecs, while the discharge for drinking water purposes into the Cauvery river was maintained at 1,500 cusecs. Published - August 02, 2026 11:06 pm IST