IMD issues Orange alert in 11 kerala districts, rain likely to continue
After a brief respite of two days, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned Kerala of more rainfall.
Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) responded to this by sounded Orange alert for 11 districts on Wednesday, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in those 11 districts, especially in the districts along the Western Ghats, till October 20.
The districts which have been warned of he
A report by the Geological Survey of India and KSDMA had recommended that people living in areas prone to landslides need to be evacuated to safety, efforts for which are underway.
A Yellow alert has been issued in the remaining three districts including Kollam, Alappuzha, and Kasaragod.
Also read: Trough lock to cyclonic storms: What caused Kerala, Uttarakhand rains
Another Orange alert has been issued for all districts except Kannur and Kasaragod, till October 21 (Thursday). Kannur and Kasaragod will be placed under Yellow alert on Thursday.
The IMD said that heavy rains in the region are likely to continue until Saturday.
“The last two days had only seen light showers as the low-pressure area formed in the Arabian Sea weakened. This will change with the arrival of easterly winds bounds for South India,” said the IMD.
Red alert has been sounded more than 10 major dams in the state.
The gates of four major dams have been opened to release excess water. The gates of Idukki, Idamalayar, Kakki and Pamba dams, have been opened for releasing water.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged the people to stay extra vigilant in the event of rains not letting up. The CM also advised the people to follow the instructions put in place by the authorities, and said that the people should not take unnecessary trips during these dangerous weather conditions.
As per the Met standards, a Red alert denotes heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an Orange alert signifies very heavy rains of 6 cm to 20 cm of rains, and a Yellow alert denotes heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm.
The authorities had asked people living on river banks to exercise extreme caution and to pay heed to warnings and evacuation requests by police and relief teams. The District Collectors had asked people, especially over-zealous youths, to desist from leaping into swollen streams and rivers in the hope of catching big fish that could be released from reservoirs due to excess outflow. The Collectors had also issued warnings against the tendency to go ‘live on social media’ and take selfies from near water bodies.