Heavy rain alert in State

Public told to take adequate precautions

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The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has urged the public to take adequate precautions with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting heavy rain and strong winds from Tuesday.

Fishing activities have been prohibited from Tuesday till further notice, the KSDMA said. Fishers who are out at sea have been advised to make for the nearest coast by Monday night.

The departments of Revenue and Local Self-Government have been directed to make arrangements for opening relief camps, if needed, from Wednesday.

Alerts

The IMD on Sunday upgraded the heavy rainfall alert levels declared for various districts with the northeast monsoon expected to strengthen under the influence of a well-marked low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal which is expected to concentrate into a depression by Tuesday.

Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki are likely to receive isolated heavy rainfall on Tuesday. The districts have been put on yellow alerts.

Idukki has been put on red alert on Wednesday as the district is likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall. Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta are on orange alert on Wednesday. These districts may receive isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall. Yellow alerts have been issued in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam.

Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam are on orange alert on Thursday, while Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki have been put on yellow alerts.

As part of the precautionary measures, the KSDMA has urged the public to inspect and ensure the safety of roofs, walls and other structures, especially in the coastal and hilly regions.

According to the IMD, the depression in the Bay region is likely to reach the south Tamil Nadu coast by Wednesday. After crossing south peninsular India and Sri Lanka, it is likely to emerge in the southeast part of the Arabian Sea by Thursday.

The northeast monsoon rainfall, which commenced over Kerala on October 28, has so far remained weak. The State has reported 29% deficiency in rainfall during the October 1-November 29 period.