Rain to intensify in Kerala; orange alert in 5 districts today

Thiruvananthapuram: The India Meteorological Department has revised the alerts after heavy rain intensified in the state on Saturday. An orange alert has been sounded for five districts-Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Ernakulam on Saturday. Other nine districts have been placed under yellow alert.

IMD has sounded an orange alert in Kozhikode for Sunday. Rainfall ranging from 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm is expected in these districts. Meanwhile, a yellow alert indicates rainfall ranging from 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm within 24 hours. 

Waterlogging hits Kochi
As incessant rain continued to batter Ernakulam districts, most of the parts of Kochi were inundated. Waterlogging in the KSRTC bus stand affected the movement of people and vehicles.

In Bolgatty, the roof of a house collapsed amid the heavy rain. No casualties were reported. According to reports, people in the house have been shifted to their neighbour's house.

High alert on hilly ranges and coastal areas
People residing in hilly areas are advised to exercise extreme caution during heavy rains. Fishermen are also restricted from venturing into the sea off the Kerala-Karnataka-Lakshadweep coasts on Saturday. People residing near the sea are also advised to stay vigilant as there are chances for high tidal waves and sea attacks.

Uprooting of trees, waterlogging and collapsing of compound walls were reported in many places, but no major casualties have happened anywhere in the state so far in the rains continuing for the last two days.

Heavy downpour submerged hundreds of acres of paddy fields at Edathua, a tiny hamlet in the Kuttanad region in Alappuzha district.

The shutters of Aruvikkara Dam near the state capital was raised up to 160 cm in view of rising water level, district authorities here said.

With just one day to go before the end of the 122-day monsoon calendar in 2023, the rains are back on. While 60 per cent deficient rainfall was recorded in Kerala for the month of June, July was mostly rainy with only 9 per cent deficit. August was the least rainy month in the history of 123 years with 87 per cent less rainfall.