Five north Kerala districts on yellow alert on July 9

Kochi/ Palakkad/ Idukki: Five northern districts, from Malappuram to Kasaragod, will be on yellow warning for heavy rainfall on Thursday. Meanwhile, the district collectors of Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Malappuram have declared a holiday for all educational institutions on Thursday.

However, university examinations and PSC exams will be held as scheduled. Strong surface winds with speed occasionally reaching 50-60 kmph are likely to prevail over Kerala and Lakshadweep on Thursday.On Wednesday, except Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram, all other districts were either on yellow or orange alert. A significant amount of rainfall was also reported at many places on Wednesday, with Nilambur in Malappuram receiving 9cm rains from 8.30am to 5.30pm Urumi in Kozhikode recorded 7cm and Mannakkad in Palakkad received 5.5cm rains.While the state continues to experience a deficiency of 28% rainfall till Wednesday morning since June 1 this season. The state received only 59cm rains against a normal of 82cm during the period.Relief camp opened: A relief camp was opened in Palakkad after heavy rains prompted authorities to shift tribal families from Parachathi hill settlement to safer locations. The camp has been set up at Ayyappanpotta Cultural Centre in Malampuzha. A total of 13 people, including five men, three women and five children, are currently staying at the camp.Woman killed: A woman was killed after a tree branch fell on her while she was working in a cardamom estate at Mankavala near Chakkupallam in Kumily on Wednesday. The deceased was Perumayi, 61, a native of Gudalur in Tamil Nadu.