IMD issues red alert for eight Kerala districts amid heavy rain

The IMD issued a red alert for eight Kerala districts as heavy rain continued to trigger flooding and rising river levels. Relief operations intensified, while the state announced aid for affected families and measures to restore documents lost in floods

Thiruvananthapuram: As heavy rains continued to lash parts of Kerala, the IMD on Tuesday issued a red alert in eight districts of the state for the day. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued the red alert in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts of the state.

Besides that, it also issued an orange alert in four districts — Alappuzha, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram — and a yellow alert in the remaining Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts for the day. A red alert indicates an extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.

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Earlier, the weather agency said that the northern districts received the highest rainfall during the 21 hours ending at 5.30 am on Tuesday.
As the rains continued, many low-lying and riverside areas of Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Kozhikode continued to be flooded, forcing people to shift to relief camps and leading to loss of valuable documents and children’s school books.

State Tourism Minister P C Vishnunadh said that special adalats will be held in connection with restoration of the documents lost in the flood and the government will ensure that the students get the required textbooks and other study materials.

He also said that currently the government has sanctioned Rs 25,000 for cleaning work in every ward and several volunteer organisations have come forward with offers of help to clean homes where water had entered. Besides that, the CM has announced that financial assistance will be provided to those who have lost homes and livelihoods, and this will be provided without any delay.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday had issued an orange alert in 12 districts of the state for August 4 and a yellow alert in two districts. Bayar in Kasaragod recorded the highest rainfall in the state at 121.5 mm between 3 am on August 3 and midnight, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Muliyar, also in Kasaragod, received 81 mm, while Kannur Airport recorded 74 mm. Urumi in Kozhikode received 65 mm. Among other places that witnessed significant rainfall, Cheruvanchery in Kannur and RARS Pilicode in Kasaragod recorded 59.5 mm each. Neryamangalam in Ernakulam received 59 mm of rain.

The IMD considers rainfall of 60 mm and above in 24 hours as heavy rainfall. According to the latest official update, water levels in the Muvattupuzha and Thodupuzha rivers continued to remain above the warning level on Tuesday morning, though the levels were receding.

At 8 am, the water level in the Muvattupuzha river stood at 11.60 metres, above the warning level of 10.92 metres and close to the danger mark of 11.93 metres. Officials said the water level was falling. The Thodupuzha river recorded a water level of 11.50 metres at 8 am. The warning level for the river is 10.78 metres, while the danger mark is 11.79 metres.

Meanwhile, the Kaliyar river was flowing at 12.26 metres, below its warning level of 13.10 metres and danger level of 14.10 metres. The water levels of these rivers were also reported to be receding. Authorities are continuing to monitor the rivers and have advised people living along the banks to remain alert as the monsoon continues to bring rain to several parts of the state.

Additionally, the water levels in some major power generation dams — Moozhiyar in Pathanamthitta, Kallarkutty, Erattayar and Lower Periyar in Idukki, Poringalkuthu in Thrissur and Kuttiyadi in Kozhikode — are in the red alert state.