After a rain-deficient June recorded the poorest monsoon in the past 47 years, July appears to be different for Kerala as heavy and incessant rain continue to batter the state. In the wake of the downpour, several schools in the state have declared a holiday on Tuesday as a preventive measure.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red and orange warnings for various districts in Kerala, anticipating heavy rain over the next five days. On Tuesday, July 4, Idukki and Kannur districts are expected to experience extremely heavy rainfall (red warning), while 12 other districts are under an orange warning for very heavy rainfall. Since Sunday evening and Monday morning, several parts of the state have been witnessing continuous rain.
According to the IMD, Idukki and Kannur, the red warning districts, are predicted to receive rainfall exceeding 204.4 mm within 24 hours. The districts under the orange warning include Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Kasargod. These districts are likely to receive rainfall ranging from 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm, with heavy rains expected at isolated locations.
The districts of Alappuzha, Ernakulam, and Pathanamthitta are the worst affected, facing heavy rainfall. In Nayarambalam panchayat of Ernakulam district, violent seas have caused the sand bank along the coastal border to break at multiple locations, resulting in water entering houses. The panchayat president, Neethu Binod, emphasized the need for a seawall along this vulnerable coast. “Residents are currently refusing to shift to camps, but the panchayat is prepared for such conditions,” she said, adding that a seawall is urgently required along this coast.
Various areas in Kochi city, including MG Road and Edapally, witnessed waterlogging on Monday. However, the water had receded by Tuesday afternoon, according to Edapally councillor Deepa Varma. All educational institutions at Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta are closed while at Kasargod, only colleges are functioning. As part of the contingency plan, control rooms have been set up in all the 14 districts. Relief camps are also being readied, while some of them have already opened in Central Kerala districts. Authorities have asked residents living in hilly terrains to exercise caution.
The IMD release cautioned against chances for inundation and landslides are high and said that the State Disaster Management Authority has prepared and published detailed guidelines through the 'Orange Book 2023', as to how the District Disaster Management Authority and other government systems should work at the stage of such warnings. “Disaster prevention and response activities should be planned in the district in accordance with the said guidelines. In the context of the current warning, camps should be prepared for the sections marked as Vulnerable Group in the Orange Book 2023 and people should be relocated in advance at necessary stages,” the release said.
Regarding the continued rain in hilly areas, the release said, “The situation of continued rain in the hilly area should be checked and appropriate measures should be taken, caution should be issued at the local body level and village level, if there is heavy rain, traffic to the hilly area may be prohibited or restricted, and those belonging to the vulnerable groups mentioned above may be relocated. Police, forest department, fire force, local bodies, revenue officials and dam operators should be alerted and coordination should be ensured to investigate and ensure such a situation.”
(With IANS inputs)