Kerala Meteorological Department warns of sea surge during high tide

KOCHI: The Meteorological Department and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) issued a warning on Monday cautioning fishermen against venturing into the sea as the rough sea conditions will continue. The sea will be rough near shore and the low-lying areas of Kollam, Alappuzha, Kochi, Ponnani, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasargod may experience surges intermittently till 11.30 pm on Tuesday. The waves will rise to a height of 2.0m-2.5m, according to a statement issued by INCOIS.

The authorities urged the fishermen and coastal population to remain cautious during this period. Boats should avoid plying very near to the coast during this period as its effect will be more in the coastal regions. The boats may be anchored at a fair distance from each other, to avoid collision and damage. The water-based recreational activity at the coast must be suspended during the period. The effects of these events in the open ocean is likely to be minimal, the release said.

Explaining the phenomenon, K K Ramachandran, a scientist at the National Centre for Earth Science Studies, said strong winds trigger such sea swells during summer season. The sea surge is causing extensive damage to coastal areas in south Kerala. If we study the data from 1973 onwards, the coastal areas of South Kerala has experienced the brunt of the sea surge, he said.