IMD issues red, orange alerts for several districts in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 3 : The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rains for Kerala and announced red alerts for two districts in Kerala, as well as, orange alerts for 11 districts.

It announced red alerts for Kannur and Idukki districts and an orange alert has been announced in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts of Kerala, while a Yellow alert has been sounded for the Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts of the state.

A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rains from 6 cm to 20 cm of rain. A yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, there is a possibility of widespread rains in the state, heavy rains at isolated places and very heavy rains on some days in the upcoming five days.

Considering the severity of the rains, district-level and taluk-level emergency operation centers have been instructed to work around the clock.

"The State Emergency Operation Center has been operationalized with representatives from various departments and the National Disaster Response Force," informed CM Pinarayi Vijayan's in a Facebook post.

Seven teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts for emergency use, the post added further.

Further issuing guidelines the post mentioned that, "Under no circumstances one should cross, bathe, do fishing or enter a river. Avoid night travel to hilly areas as much as possible. Due to the possibility of high waves and storm surges, people living in the coastal areas should stay away from the danger zones as per the instructions of the authorities. Be especially careful with wind hazards."