IMD Issues Red Alert For Parts Of Kerala, Tamil Nadu Amid Heavy Downpour

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday (August 2) issued a three-day red alert for the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and some areas of Karnataka. These regions have been witnessing incessant downpours since the beginning of the month of August. Authorities have taken action to reduce the disasters' impact and deployed rescue units to ensure people's safety.

Kerala Imposes Restrictions To Avoid Monsoon Disasters

The IMD Director General M Mohapatra said that "There is an area of high convergence (of westerly winds) which sets up the platform for extremely heavy rainfall. Due to this, central and northern parts of Kerala will witness heavy rains for three days from Tuesday". The winds are likely to shift towards the north during the next four to five days.

As reported by The Hindustan Times, the State Government issued a red alert in eight out of 14 districts, with the rest of the districts having been alerted of heavy to very heavy rains in the coming days. In the past couple of days, rainfall was recorded up from 23cm in regions of Kochi to 15cms in Thrissur. Official records reported a death toll of 12, most of whom lost their lives in the landslides around Kannur, Kottayam, and Idukki districts. Over 750 people have been relocated to temporary relief camps across the state.

People in the areas with a red-alert warning have been advised to take necessary precautions to prevent more such disasters. From the government's side, nine units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), two units of Defence Security Corps, and an Army column have been stationed in various districts. Regions of Idukki and other hilly areas would observe a ban on night-time travelling to avoid unwanted mishaps. Tourist destinations have been temporarily shut down, and fishermen have been warned against going to the sea after two fishermen went missing in Thrissur.

The rain is expected to get even harsher with a prediction of up to 200mm in the last 24 hours. Water levels in about five rivers, including Pamba and Manimala, have crossed the danger mark, as per the Central Water Commission's analysis. These were the rivers that had overflowed and paved the way for the Kerala floods of 2018.

An elephant was caught in the flooded Chalakudy river in #Kerala. The elephant has safely made it to the banks. @News18TamilNadu #KeralaRains pic.twitter.com/UfR96M8q7X

— Mugilan Chandrakumar (@Mugilan__C) August 2, 2022

Tamil Nadu Government Looks Into Precautionary Measures

As per IMD's bulletin, "Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall at one or two places is likely to occur over Theni, Dindigul, Tirupur and Coimbatore districts from 8.30 Am on Tuesday to 8.30 am on Friday".

Taking the warnings into consideration, the state government has deployed four NDRF teams in the district of Kanyakumari and the Nilgiris as a precaution. Several other regions, such as Erode and Tenkasi are also warned with an orange alert.

Also Read: Heavy Rain Causes Flash Floods In Kerala; 26 People Dead, Many Others Injured Or Missing