Indus Valley Times

KERALA, JUN 6 : Heavy rains lashed various parts of Kerala overnight continued on Saturday morning, causing widespread waterlogging, uprooting trees, damaging houses and disrupting normal life in several areas of the state.

A 29-year-old man died in Thrissur district’s Manaloor after a tree fell on a temporary shed where he was sleeping, according to a Fire and Rescue Services official. The fallen tree destroyed the shed completely.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for five districts, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod, on Saturday. The weather agency also issued an orange alert for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur and Palakkad districts, while the remaining three districts remained under a yellow alert.

According to the IMD, a red alert indicates extremely heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm in 24 hours. An orange alert signifies very heavy rainfall between 11 cm and 20 cm, while a yellow alert denotes heavy rainfall ranging from 6 cm to 11 cm.

Authorities imposed restrictions in view of the severe weather conditions. Officials prohibited entry to tourist trekking destinations, night travel on hilly roads and quarrying activities in Wayanad, Kozhikode and Kasaragod districts on Saturday.

District administrations also declared a holiday for educational institutions in several districts. Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod announced holidays for schools and colleges, while district collectors in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod declared a holiday for schools, professional colleges, anganwadis, tuition centres, Kendriya Vidyalayas, madrasas and other religious educational institutions due to the forecast of extremely heavy rainfall.

The Kannur District Collector declared a holiday for all educational institutions in the district following the red alert issued by the IMD and the continuing heavy rainfall. The order covers professional colleges, schools, anganwadis, tuition centres, ICSE and CBSE schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas, madrasas and other religious educational institutions.

Residential schools have been exempted from the holiday order. The Collector clarified that previously scheduled university examinations, public examinations and interviews will take place as planned.

The IMD said the southwest monsoon has advanced into most parts of the central-western and central-eastern Arabian Sea and parts of Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The weather department attributed the intense rainfall to a cyclonic circulation over north Kerala and said extremely heavy rainfall was likely in parts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Malappuram districts on June 6.

The IMD further forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of Kerala and Mahe from June 6 to June 9. It also predicted widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds reaching speeds of 40 to 50 kilometres per hour across Kerala from June 6 to June 10.

The weather agency cautioned fishermen against venturing into the sea along the Kerala-Lakshadweep-Karnataka coasts from June 6 to June 9 as strong winds with speeds of 40 to 60 kmph are likely to prevail in the region.

-PTI