No respite for Kerala as IMD issues ‘very heavy rain’ alert

Kerala has to brace itself for more rainfall as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued orange and yellow alerts for various state districts for the next four days.

Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottyam, Ernakulum, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram and Thrissur are the 10 districts set for ‘moderate’ to ‘very heavy rain’.

October has already been flush with unexpected rain for Kerala, with weathermen saying the state recorded the highest rainfall in 120 years between October 1 and 28 due to recurring cyclonic circulations and unexpected changes in weather pattern.

“Kerala received 567 millimetre of rainfall between October 1 and 28, going past the 1999 northeast monsoon rain record of 566 mm,” Rajiv Erikulam of the State Disaster Management Authority was quoted as saying.

On Friday, many regions of the southern districts of Kerala received widespread rainfall causing waterlogging in low-lying areas and damage to roads. According to media reports, rain water entered houses and three vehicles were washed away in the overnight rains and flooding in Punalur-Thenmala region in Kollam district.

The IMD has warned fishermen not to venture into the sea till October 31 because of cyclonic formation in the Bay of Bengal. It has also been predicted that a low pressure near Sri Lanka is expected to reach the Kerala coast and cause a deluge.

Also read: Idukki on alert after Tamil Nadu raises shutters of Mullaperiyar Dam