Heavy rain forecast for Kozhikode\, Wayanad districts

Keral

Heavy rain forecast for Kozhikode, Wayanad districts

Water gushing through a stream at Pathaar near Nilambur on Wednesday evening after a landslide in a neighbouring hill. The area had witnessed widespread destruction last year.  

Kozhikode and Wayanad are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall on Thursday, according to an India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast. Red alerts have been issued for both districts.

The forecast indicates that both districts may receive above 20.4 cm rainfall in a 24-hour period.

With the low pressure area over north Bay of Bengal becoming a well-marked low over the northwest part of the Bay, southwest monsoon has entered an active phase over Kerala.

The State can expect very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall till August 9 (Sunday), the IMD said.

Orange alerts have been issued for Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod till August 9. Orange alerts have also been issued for Pathanamthitta and Kottayam for Saturday. These districts are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain on said days.

Squally weather is likely to prevail along the coasts of Keraka, Karnataka, Goa and the Lakshadweep region till August 9.

Two deaths

Torrential rain and strong winds in the past two days have left a trail of destruction in parts of the Malabar region. The southwest monsoon claimed the lives of two children in separate incidents in Wayanad district.

Meanwhile, two more teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are expected to arrive in Kerala this week. The new teams will be deployed in Palakkad and Malappuram. With their arrival, the number of NDRF teams deployed in Kerala would go up to six.

People residing in landslip-prone regions where red alerts have been issued will be evacuated in view of the IMD forecast that monsoon rainfall could strengthen over Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday.

Extremely heavy rainfall in the Nilgiri hills would increase the chances of calamities in Wayanad, eastern parts of Malappuram district and the northeastern parts of Palakkad. A similar situation in Idukki would also affect Ernakulam district, he said.

The water levels in major dams have not increased significantly. Nevertheless, reservoir and river water levels are being closely monitored. The level is close to warning levels only in the Manimalayar at the moment. Water is being discharged from the Peringalkuthu, Kallarkutty and Lower Periyar dams of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and a number of dams managed by the Irrigation Department.

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