IMD issues red alert in five districts of Kerala for May 15-16

As rains continue to lash across Kerala days ahead of the expected onset of the Southwest monsoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday issued a red alert in five districts of the state for Sunday and Monday indicating extremely heavy rainfall.

Many parts of Kerala have received heavy rains since Saturday, leading to flooding in many low-lying areas of Kochi.

While property damage was reported from many places, there were no casualty reports.

IMD issued a red alert in Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts for Sunday. For Monday, alongside these districts, a red alert has also been issued for Kannur. Except for Kasaragod, other districts in the state have an orange alert for Sunday.

Strong westerly winds from the Arabian Sea are causing the heavy downpour.

The state government has already initiated steps to shift people from calamity-prone areas. The rains caused extensive damage to crops, and minor incidents like wall collapse were also reported.

Revenue Minister K Rajan, who met the media, said directions have been issued to district collectors to deal with any emergencies.

"We held a meeting on Saturday, chaired by the Chief secretary. Directions have been issued to all district collectors and other concerned authorities. As of now, the rivers are not overflowing. We have issued special directions to hilly districts and hazard analysts have been asked to closely monitor the situation," Rajan said.

He said all departments concerned have been alerted and people from danger-prone areas will be evacuated without delay if necessary.

"As of now there is no need for opening relief camps across the state. But we need to be careful as there are chances of landslides if the rain continues," Rajan said.

A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm of rains. A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm.

The weatherman had issued a red alert in Ernakulam and Idukki on Saturday. Most parts of Ernakulam city were inundated on Sunday due to heavy rainfall which lasted the whole night.

Two camps have been opened in Ernakulam city to house families affected by waterlogging. A total of nine families from various places have been housed in two camps.

As the heavy downpour alert was issued, the government on Saturday evening called a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary to assess and take steps for mitigation measures.

With the red alert being issued in more districts today, the state government and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) have asked people to stay away from rivers and other water bodies.

The SDMA has also asked people not to travel to hilly regions unless it's an emergency and to avoid night travel until the rain subdues.

The IMD has earlier predicted that the Southwest monsoon, which is also known as Edavapathy in the state, is likely to bring its first showers to Kerala by May 27, five days earlier than the normal onset date.

Since it was raining in the southern part of the state for the past few days, the district administrations have issued warnings to people staying in low lying areas, on the banks of the rivers and in hilly regions to remain vigilant.

Kodungallur in Thrissur district received 20 cm of rain on Saturday, as per the IMD website which is the highest rainfall in Kerala in the last 24 hours. Aluva in Ernakulam district received 19 cm of rain while CIAL Kochi in Ernakulam, Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district and Kottarakkara in Kollam district received 17 cm of rain each.

Kerala witnessed major landslides during the last few years, apart from the major floods in 2018-19. Weather experts have even alerted about the chances of cloud bursts in the state.

(With inputs from PTI)