The southwest (SW) monsoon, which has been weak over Kerala, is finally showing signs of gaining strength.
Heavy rainfall is likely in many districts later this week, and an orange alert has been issued for Idukki district indicating the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall on Thursday. Idukki district has recorded a 60% deficiency in southwest monsoon rainfall this season.
Yellow level alerts, indicating heavy rainfall, have been issued for Malappuram for Tuesday; Malappuram and Idukki for Wednesday; and Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram and Kannur for Thursday.
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The orange alert is also valid for Lakshadweep islands on Wednesday and Thursday, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Overall, the state has recorded a rainfall deficiency of 46% between June 1 and June 14. Against the 988.3 mm rainfall expected dueing this period, the state has received only 531 mm. All 14 districts have reported deficit in SW monsoon rainfall, with Idukki topping the list with 60%, followed by Wayanad (56%), Thrissur (53%), Pathanamthitta (56%) and Ernakulam (50%).
KSEB review meet ADVERTISEMENT
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The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) management will meet on Monday to review the power position.
The combined storage in the hydel dams managed by the KSEB stands at 501.63 million units (MU), which is merely 12% of the total storage capacity.
Depending heavily on power imports to meet the daily demand, the KSEB had imposed load shedding in a few places on Friday and Saturday owing to a reduction in supply.
The KSEB held a meeting on July 4, but decided to take a call on power restrictions at the July 15 meeting.