Thiruvananthapuram: After a brief respite in rain on Thursday, the Met Department has again warned of heavy rains across Kerala.
The state braces for another bout of rain likely from Thursday afternoon and an orange alert has been issued for 8 districts - Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur.
Yellow alert has been declared in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kasaragod districts.
The Meteorology Department has announced that there would be strong winds and rain across the Kerala coast. Fishermen are requested not to venture into the sea on account of the inclement weather predicted.
The latest spell of rain in Kerala is attributed to the formation of cyclonic circulation in southern Tamil Nadu. The alert regarding the formation of a new cyclone was given by the authorities by Wednesday evening.
According to experts, if the cyclonic circulation continues, it will lead to formation of low- pressure in the atmosphere, leading to further rain.
Cyclonic circulation or rotation is nothing but the swirling motion of winds caused by a low-pressure area.
On Friday, an Orange alert has been sounded for Idukki, Kottayam, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. Yellow alert will be in force in Idukki, Kottayam, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts on October 23 and 24, i.e., Saturday and Sunday.
(As per the Met, a Red alert denotes heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while Orange alert signifies very heavy rains of 6 cm to 20 cm of rains. A Yellow alert, on the other hand, denotes heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm.)
Landslide in Perinthalmanna
A few instances of landslides were reported from Malappuram and Palakkad districts. They occurred at Thazhekad Malankada Mala and Bidavu Mala in Perinthalmanna and at Odanthodu and Aashanpara in Mangalam dam area. No casualties were reported.
In Perinthalmanna, water along with huge amounts of sand and stones entered the canal flowing through the hilly area. About 60 families were shifted to safer places.
Meanwhile, there was heavy rain in many places on Wednesday night, especially in hilly areas in Kottayam and Thrissur. Landslip occurred at Anjam Mile in Munnar in Idukki district.
Night travel through Attappady Churam in Palakkad and Nadukani Churam was banned.
The water level in the Idukki Dam has gone up even though its three shutters have been left open since Tuesday.
More shutters of the Mattupetty Dam will be opened.
Tourist centres closed
The tourist centres in the Thrissur district, including the Athirapally-Vazhachal tourist zones, were closed. The tourist centres, which were opened last Friday, were closed again due to bad weather conditions.
Heavy downpour continued in the hilly areas of Thrissur, especially in Athirapally and Chimmini dam areas. In the heavy rain, water gushed out of the Charpa waterfalls and entered the nearby roads. The Echipara Thodu has been flooded and water entered the nearby area.