Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Heavy rains over the past 24 hours have raised fears of fresh flooding and landslides in Wayanad's Mundakkai-Chooralmala region, just a year after deadly landslides claimed over 200 lives there.
District officials reported on Wednesday that the Chooralmala river is in strong spate, with muddy water flowing forcefully and breaching the banks near the Bailey bridge.
Soil stored along both riverbanks for renovation work has been washed away, causing water to spill onto the Attamala road and surrounding areas.
Local residents say they believe new landslides have occurred in the hills, particularly uphill near Punchirimattam inside forested areas. However, officials say there has been no confirmation so far.
"We have no confirmation of new landslides inside the forest, uphill Punchirimattam," the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said.
"The loose debris from previous events is coming down with the rain. This will likely continue for some time until all eroded materials are washed off," it said.
Residents remain anxious, remembering the July 2024 disaster that flattened homes, injured dozens, and left hundreds without shelter.
District administration officials say the flash flooding is a result of widespread rain in the hills.
However, they maintain that there is no immediate danger and are monitoring the situation closely. Further downstream, the Kabani river has also seen rising water levels at Mananthavady and Panamaram.
With the Banasura dam nearing full capacity, a red alert remains in place for nearby regions.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for 11 districts, including Wayanad, warning of moderate rainfall and strong winds up to 50 km/h over the next three hours.
Light rain and gusty winds are also expected in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Alappuzha.
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Bengaluru: South Western Railway (SWR) is installing a network of 943 CCTV cameras having AI technology in 79 stations, entering into coordination with RailTel Corporation of India Limited.
According to a report by Deccan Herald, the CCTV cameras will be connected to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Command and Control Centre (CC Centre) in Hubballi to enhance passenger safety and also to keep vigil over the public movement in railway stations. The system helps the RPF staff in Hubballi to monitor the real time status of even smaller railway stations through the CCTV camera surveillance and alert local staff in case of any suspicious activities or safety concerns.
This is a major step of upgrade of security in the railway stations under the Hubballi Division of the SWR as only seven major stations in the Division were provided CCTV camera surveillance a few years ago. While the Hubballi Division has 123 stations, including halt stations, up to 79 stations will now be monitored through CCTV cameras.
Also, new buildings and better amenities have been provided to all important and small stations in Hubballi Division.
SWR officers have reportedly said that the camera installation work is completed, with more than half of the cameras already being connected to the CC Centre in Hubballi.
RPF Senior Divisional Security Commissioner Alok Kumar has said that smaller railway stations like Saunshi or Yalavigi too can be monitored through CCTV cameras at the CC Centre in Hubballi.
He explained that AI technology has enabled CCTV cameras that can recognize faces, count passengers, and also have colour scenes. In addition, they are equipped with video analytic facilities supporting greater efficiency in monitoring the movements of people and surveillance and security in these railway stations. The remaining railway stations will be connected with the CCTV cameras network in the next phase, he added.