Expect heat wave Tuesday too, Met warning for Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala may experience a heat wave Tuesday too, the Met department has warned.

Temperature is likely to rise up to 6 degree Celsius above the average in parts of the state such as Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. People living between Thrissur and Kannur have been asked to take precautions to counter the heat wave.

The Met had issued the warning for Monday too.

The disaster management authority has asked people to avoid exposure to direct sunlight between 11 am and 3 pm. People have also been advised to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Wear loose, light-coloured cotton garments. Teachers and parents have been asked to take special care of school children who are going through an exam season.

Parts of Kerala are already under the grip of a drought-like situation. The Banasurasagar reservoir and its catchment areas in Wayanad have dried up just seven months after water rose to dangerous levels and forced residents downstream to move to safer grounds.

The reservoir which had to be opened at short notice due to an alarming rise in water level in August now holds just 38 percent of its storage capacity.

The water level in the reservoir was 766 metres above sea level at the beginning of March last year. The current level is four metres below year-earlier levels even after the heavy downpour in August. The reservoir's catchment areas received four times rainfall in 2018 than the previous year. Areas close to the reservoir are staring at a crisis of water shortage.

The Wayanad district administration had asked the dam officials to release water to address a water shortage in the Padinjarethara area. The other parts of the district have also recorded high temperatures. The average temperature hovered around 32 degree here in the past year, according to the recordings made at the Ambalavayal Agricultural Research Centre. People are forced to stay indoors due to the heat.

Even the Pathanamthitta district is scorched. Rivers in the district have almost dried up, accentuating a drinking water shortage. Farm labourers and construction workers bear the brunt of rising temperatures. Most of the farms have dried up. The Achankovilar and Pampa rivers have reduced to a trickle.