New Delhi: Union Minister KJ Alphons said incessant rainfall in Kerala has created a roadblock for tourism in the state, a month ahead of the peak tourist season here.
Tourists are known to visit Kerala to witness its untouched greenery and the world-famous backwaters. However, Alphons, while speaking to ANI, said a number of tourists have cancelled their visit to the rain-battered state.
“Past one month has been horrible. There are cancellations because every tourist destination in Kerala is under water; especially around Alleppey and Kumarakom area. This huge devastation is surely going to affect tourism badly,” he opined.
Alphons further said that he will visit the flood-affected areas of the state along with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on August 12 to take stock of the current situation.
Owing to the current situation in the state, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall in most places) for Idukki and Wayanad till August 14 and orange alert (heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated places) till August 15. The agency has also issued a red alert for Kannur till August 13 and orange alert till Aug 15.
Presently, 14 self-contained teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are deployed in various parts of flood-hit districts of Thrissur, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Idukki.