THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Water levels in two rivers in Kerala are rising and a heavy rain warning has been issued in the state. The Central Water Commission has announced a yellow alert in the event of a dangerous rise in the water level. Water levels are rising in Pamba in Pathanamthitta district and Manimala in Kottayam district. In addition to alerting the river banks, the Central Water Commission has also informed that the people living on the river banks should be very careful.
There is a possibility of heavy rainfall in four districts according to the Central Meteorological Department. Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Idukki districts are on orange alert today. A yellow alert has been declared in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Thrissur, Palakkad and Kozhikode districts. Heavy rain is likely in Kottayam, Idukki and Kozhikode districts tomorrow.
A cyclonic circulation is located over North Karnataka and Telangana. A low-pressure trough is located at an altitude of 1.5 km over Kerala and Tamil Nadu from the cyclonic circulation to the Comorin region. IMD said that moderate/average rain with widespread thunder/lightning is likely over Kerala for the next five days as a result of this. IMD said rain with thunder and lightning is possible at isolated places in eight districts of Kerala during the next three hours.
Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts are likely to experience light/moderate rain with thundershowers and gusty winds of up to 40 kmph. The Central Meteorological Department has informed that light rain is also possible at isolated places in all the other districts.
Special instructions to the public
People living in danger zones should be careful as the storm surge is likely to be strong along various coasts.
At the necessary stage, you should move. Fishing conditions should be kept safe.
Residents of unsecured homes and those living in homes with weak roofs should be prepared to evacuate based on the warnings in the coming days.Trees/posts/boards etc. standing in danger in private and public areas should be secured and trees should be trimmed. Dangerous conditions should be brought to the attention of the authorities.
Those in disaster-prone areas should have an emergency kit ready immediately. Instructions for preparing the kit can be found at https://sdma.kerala.gov.in/.../2020/07/Emergency-Kit.pdf.In case of heavy rains, under no circumstances should one cross rivers, enter rivers or other bodies of water for bathing, fishing or other purposes.
Viewing, taking selfies or congregating on the overpasses above the water bodies is not allowed.
Residents living downstream of dams should make preparations to anticipate the possibility of water overflowing from the dams and evacuate if necessary as directed by the authorities.
Avoid night travel to hilly areas completely. It is also important to be aware of the dangers of trees falling down in the wind and posts collapsing. The precautionary measures to be taken during strong winds issued by the State Disaster Management Authority are available from the link https://sdma.kerala.gov.in/windwarning/.
Orange Book 2023 of the State Disaster Management Authority explains how to make preparations in the districts where orange and yellow alerts have been announced and how to understand the alerts. It is available at this link https://sdma.kerala.gov.in/.../Orange-Book-of-Disaster.
Alerts may change as Central Meteorological Department makes changes in the warning. Also check the Disaster Management Authority's Facebook and Twitter pages.
