Kerala temp may rise to 40-degree Celsius; IMD issues special warning to eight districts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: According to the Indian Meteorological Department, Kerala will witness extreme heat in the coming days. A yellow alert has been declared in eight districts after the IMD warning.

On both Wednesday and Thursday, Kollam, Kottayam, and Palakkad districts will experience a maximum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius and Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur districts will experience a maximum temperature of 36 degrees Celsius.

If the situation remains unchanged, IMD presages the temperature crossing the mighty 40 degrees Celsius in the coming months. The water level in the reservoirs and wells has started depleting. The water shortage will turn severe if another month goes without any rainfall.

Given the high temperature, the health department has advised employers to allow breaks to workers between 11 am to 3 pm. This applies only to people working in open areas.

The high temperature has also started bringing communicable diseases into the state with Chickenpox cases getting reported rampantly. Till the 17th of this month, 1701 cases of chickenpox were reported. 19,632 people sought treatment for diarrhoea. Yellow bile is also a concern. Sunburn has also affected many in the state.

The El Niño phenomenon is the cause of the unseasonably warm weather. El Niño is a phenomenon that causes unusual warming of the sea surface in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. As the hot air from it spreads to other areas, the temperature rises invariably.