Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said heavy rains were expected in the southern districts of the state including Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam and instructed officials to take extreme caution in river banks, hilly areas, and in tourist places.
"As part of westerly winds getting stronger, heavy rains are expected in southern districts of Kerala including Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam," CM Vijayan in a statement.
CM Vijayan further directed to take extreme caution in river banks, hilly areas in view of the expected heavy rainfall.
"Emergency relief camps will be set up in landslide and flood-prone areas. Also, I have directed to take extreme caution in river banks, hilly areas, and in tourist places as heavy rainfall is expected in the coming hours," said CM Vijayan.
According to reports, a new low pressure in the Andaman Sea over the Bay of Bengal is likely to form in the next 12 hours. It is expected to reach the Bay of Bengal by November 15 and gain strength as a severe low pressure.
Isolated heavy showers are expected in Kerala for the next two days. In addition, the Central Meteorological department has forecast normal rainfall over the next two weeks (November 12-25), especially in central and southern Kerala.
The Central Meteorological Department on Saturday issued an orange alert in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Idukki districts and a yellow alert in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts. Orange alert issued in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Idukki districts and a yellow alert in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts for tomorrow.
The Chief Minister further said that in the wake of the orange and yellow alerts issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and considering the possibility of isolated thundershowers in the hilly areas, more caution is needed in hilly areas and the places where heavy rainfall is received in the last few days.
Earlier in the day, incessant rains caused landslides between sections of Neyyatinkara and Parassala and between sections of Eraniel and Kulithurai. Waterlogging was also reported between Nagercoil Junction and Kanniyakumari section. In view of safety, two trains were fully cancelled fully while 10 were partially cancelled in the region.
