Rain likely to last till Monday in Kerala

Northeast monsoon to start by Tuesday; yellow alert in 10 districts today

Kerala is bracing for more rains with a cyclonic circulation persisting over coastal southern Tamil Nadu likely to bring widespread rainfall over the next few days.

Special attention is being paid to the hilly regions of the State given the likelihood of thunderstorms, Revenue Minister K. Rajan said here on Thursday.

Toll goes up to 50

The death toll in natural calamities since October 12 rose to 50 by Thursday, the government said. Four persons are missing in various districts. On Thursday, 8,655 families (29,057 individuals) were accommodated in 435 relief camps.

Under the influence of the cyclonic circulation and a trough which extends from it to the east-central Arabian Sea, the State can expect widespread rainfall with thunderstorm and lightning till Monday, the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has put several districts on yellow alert for isolated heavy rainfall till Monday. Ten districts — Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, and Wayanad — are on yellow alert on Friday.

The State cannot afford to relax its guard in the days ahead as the northeast monsoon is expected to commence with the simultaneous withdrawal of the southwest monsoon by Tuesday, the Minister said. Last year, the State had recorded a 26% deficit in northeast monsoon rainfall. This year, Kerala has recorded a 128% ‘large excess’ over the normal in the first three weeks of October.

Twelve teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are currently deployed in various districts. Three teams each of the Army and the Defence Security Corps (DSC), two IAF helicopters and a naval helicopter are on standby, the Minister said. He urged the public to remain alert and cooperate with government officials if evacuation becomes necessary.

Minor mudslips were reported in Palakkad, Idukki, Kottayam, Wayanad and Malappuram districts in the rainfall on Wednesday night. No damage has been reported, the government said.