Heavy rain continues to batter Kerala; Red alert in three districts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday declared a Red alert in three Kerala districts and an Orange alert in 8 as heavy rainfalls continued in various parts of the state.

A red alert is declared when there is heavy or very heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rainfall of 6 cm to 20 cm. A yellow alert means heavy rain of 6 to 11 cm.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the state government said that 166 relief camps have been opened in various districts and 4,639 people have been shifted from disaster-affected or disaster-prone areas.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan had earlier in the day said that people should refrain from travelling to flooded areas as part of a growing trend of "flood tourism" and warned that such persons would be removed with the help of the police.

"Such activities in flooded areas would not be permitted at all and if necessary, police assistance would be sought to remove such persons," he said.

The minister added that the government is taking all necessary steps such as setting up relief camps so that people can be safe from the rising water levels and wait out the rain in shelters.

According to the data from various districts, at around 7 am, the water level in the major dams and reservoirs was held steady, or had only marginally risen as rainfall had reduced in certain parts of the state in the early morning hours.

However, at 10 am a blue alert was declared as the water storage level in the Idukki reservoir reached 2375.52 feet.

The Kerala State Emergency Operations Center (KSEOC) had said that a total of 12 rain-related deaths were reported in the state from July 31 to August 2.

Source-PTI