Kerala rains: IMD issues orange alert in 9 districts
Heavy rains continue to lash Kerala, creating a flood-like situation in the state. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert (heavy rains) in nine districts of Kerala. At least three people have already been killed in rain-related incidents in Kerala. Similar alerts were also issued for districts in the neighboring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Here are more details.
Which regions have been placed on alert?
The IMD has issued an alert from October 12-14 in the districts of Ernakulam, Idukki, Kannur, Kasargod, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, and Wayanad. In Tamil Nadu, the Coimbatore and Nilgiris districts and Karnataka's Chikmagalur, Hassan, Kodagu, Mandhya, Mysore, Shimoga, and Tumkur districts have also been placed on orange alert. A yellow alert has been sounded in the remaining districts across the three states.
NDRF teams deployed in Kerala; additional aid from TN arriving
Kerala has deployed two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for emergencies and flood relief work. The State Disaster Management Authority of Kerala has requested four additional NDRF teams from the nearby state of Tamil Nadu. The NDRF teams will be positioned in the affected districts for emergency and rescue operations and flood relief in case of flooding.
Casualties mounting in Kerala due to incessant heavy rains
Thus far, two children and a 65-year-old man have died in Kerala due to the heavy rains. In Malappuram, two children—reportedly aged eight years and six months—died after their house collapsed due to a landslide. In Kollam, a 65-year-old man accidentally fell into an overflowing ravine. The man fell into a ravine unable to distinguish the flooded road from a river.
Why is Kerala receiving such heavy rainfalls?
According to the IMD, cyclonic circulation over the East Central Arabian Sea is likely to persist during the next few days. Due to its influence, very heavy rainfall is likely over Kerala and the Southern Peninsula of India. Heavy rains are likely in the Konkan belt of Goa and Maharashtra, coastal Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
