More rain to hit Kerala, red alert in eight districts

Weathermen have predicted heavy rainfall in Kerala till August 14, leading to declaration of a red alert in eight districts.

Wayanad and Idukki (till August 14), Alappuzha and Kannur (August 13), Ernakulam, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode (till August 12) are the districts put on red alert by the India Meteorological Department.

The heavy rain alert in Idukki district assumes importance since the inflow in the Idukki reservoir will shape the course of water that hits downstream areas over the next couple of days.

In the past three days, out of the 33 rain related deaths, which were reported in the state, 12 were recorded in Idukki district.

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has issued a nine-point advisory against the backdrop of the fresh alert.

The KSDMA has advised against travelling during night to hilly areas in the wake of an alert on possible landslips.

The Thiruvananthapuram Met centre said that Idukki, one of the worst-hit districts during this monsoon, recorded an “isolated heavy rainfall” of 9 cm on Saturday.

The centre has also issued an alert to fishermen following forecast of strong winds along and off the Kerala and Karnataka coasts and Lakshadweep.

Between June 1 and August 11, Kerala has received 1,863.11 mm of rainfall, a jump of 20.14 % on the long period average.

During the period, Idukki recorded 55.32 % excess rainfall.