Heavy rain forecast in B'luru; alert in 3 Kerala dists

Kerala, grappling with the aftermath of devastating floods that hit the state in August, was put on alert on Wednesday after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast heavy rainfall for the next four to five days. Heavy rain has also been forecast for south interior Karnataka, including Bengaluru.

The IMD has issued a warning on a cyclonic storm over the southeast Arabian Sea after October 7. A red alert has been issued in three districts in Kerala — Idukki, Palakkad and Thrissur — on October 7.

IMD Bengaluru director-in-charge C P Patil told DH that a system is forming over the south-east Arabian Sea off Kerala coast. He said that around October 5, a low-pressure area is likely to form, which would intensify into a depression and then a cyclone is likely to form. Due to these systems, south interior and coastal Karnataka will receive heavy rain for the next five days.

The weatherman said these were south-west monsoon showers that the city and other parts of south interior Karnataka are experiencing.

Patil said climatically, the monsoon period is from June to September, but this time, the monsoon has not yet withdrawn. Thus, the city is still experiencing good rainfall.

In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters after an emergency meeting that district collectors were directed to review arrangements in the wake of the forecast. He advised people to avoid night travel in hilly areas and asked tourists not to visit Munnar, from October 5 until further notice. Tourists have started arriving in large numbers at Munnar to witness the once-in-12-years blooming of the flower Neelakurinji. The government will seek deployment of five teams of the National Disaster Response Force. An alert has been sounded to people residing near rivers and canals.

Bengaluru received 26.2 mm rainfall on Wednesday till 5.30 pm while HAL airport received 1.2 mm and the international airport received trace (0.1mm) rainfall. IMD officials said rain started around 4 pm and in just one hour, the city recorded around 3 cm rainfall.

According to IMD records, the seasonal rainfall total for Bengaluru city (from June to September 30) has been 565.2 mm.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) control room received three complaints about trees being uprooted from Nandidurg Road and Vijayanagar.