Kerala will witness extremely heavy rainfall in the coming days as a cyclone is being formed in the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned. The Kerala Disaster Management Authority has alerted the public and the government machinery to prepare to face any landslide, soil erosion and flood in low-lying areas and keep vigil.
People living in disaster-prone areas of the districts where the red and orange warnings have been issued will be shifted to camps as a precautionary measure. The government officials have also been warned of strong wind and the possible uprooting of trees. The IMD has issued a warning for fishermen, asking them not to venture into the sea.
A Red code warning has been issued for Idukki, Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod districts for Sunday. Extremely heavy rainfall has been predicted for the districts, which are likely to receive more than 204.5 millimetre rains in 24 hours. An alert for extreme vigil has been issued for these four districts.
An orange code warning has been issued for Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Wayanad for Sunday, as there is a possibility for very heavy rains — between 115.6 millimetre and 204.4 mm — for 24 hours.
A yellow code warning has been issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha for Sunday.
KSDMA has asked to shift those living in disaster-prone areas to relief camps. “People who live in disaster-prone areas should be mandatorily shifted to camps during day time as rains are likely to gather strength during the night,” KSDMA said in a press meet.
People should avoid travelling through high-range areas during the night. An order will be issued banning vehicles to high-range areas from 7 pm to 7 am. The public should completely cooperate with it, said KSDMA.
Vadakara in Kozhikode received 10 cm rain, while Hosdurg (Kasaragod) recorded 9 cm and Taliparambu in Kannur and Kudulu in Kasaragod received 7 cm each, as per the weather report on Sunday morning.
In view of the alerts, the Navy, Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters, the police and fire force are all ready to swing into action in case of any emergency requests, sources said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a 'red alert' for extremely heavy rainfall for Kerala's three districts on Saturday.
(With PTI inputs)