Thiruvananthapuram: Heavy rains lashed several parts of Kerala on Tuesday prompting authorities to declare a holiday for educational institutions and set up Control Rooms in districts. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has already sounded a "red alert" in Idukki and Kannur districts and it also issued "orange alerts" for 10 of the remaining 12 districts in the state on Tuesday.
The monsoon trough over the coastal region from Kerala to Maharashtra is currently lying to the south of its normal position and also low pressure and cyclonic vortices are present over the Andaman Sea and the central West Bay of Bengal. The Meteorological Department has warned that rain will continue in the state for the next five days. Heavy rain has been lashing the state since early this morning. In the event of heavy rain, there is a possibility of landslides in the hilly areas.
The Disaster Management Authority has also issued a special alert for the districts of Kottayam, Idukki and Wayanad, which are expected to receive heavy rains in the coming days. The Central Meteorological Department said moderate to heavy rain at isolated places in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts and gusty winds of up to 55 kmph are likely in the next three hours.
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Due to the possibility of heavy rains, fishermen have been instructed not to go to sea and to be very careful and serious warnings in hilly areas and coastal areas. Control Rooms are operational in all districts due to the possibility of very heavy rains, official sources said. The IMD has announced an orange alert for districts from Pathanamthitta to Kasaragod and a yellow alert for the Kollam district for Wednesday.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan instructed the District Collectors to be ready for rescue operations in the event of heavy rains. The proposal is to take measures to ensure quick intervention in case of emergency. Revenue Minister K Rajan has also called a special high-level meeting on Tuesday. District-level and taluk-level emergency operation centres will be functioning 24 hours depending on the intensity of rain. The State Emergency Operation Centre has been operationalised with representatives from various departments and the National Disaster Response Force.
At least seven teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts for emergency use. It has been instructed to take steps to start relief camps immediately if needed. Quarrying and mining activities, transport except for essential services to the hilly areas and tourism to the beach have been banned until further notice, sources said.
