New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an Orange alert for six districts in Kerala on Sunday. The police force in the state has reportedly been on high alert as several parts of Kochi are inundated. The six districts for which IMD has alerted heavy rainfall warning are Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Idukki and Kochi.
State capital Thiruvananthapuram will fall under Orange alert on Tuesday along with the six other districts, said an Onmanorama report.
The Orange alert signifies heavy to very heavy rainfall up to 204 mm of rainfall in a day. In a statement IMD said, Thunderstorm with moderate rainfall and wind speed reaching up to 40 kmph is likely in these districts on Sunday.
In the wake of rain prediction, the state has made necessary arrangements in all districts of the state. On Saturday evening, the Chief Secretary, VP Joy, called for a meeting with all the concerned departments and has directed district collectors to intensify preparations, news agency ANI reported.
Flood relief camps have been started as the people in the landslide and flood-prone regions will be shifted if necessary. The arrangements to pump water from water logging areas have also been made. People in the hilly areas are asked to avoid commuting and tourists were asked to stay wherever they are and not to travel in the hilly regions by the disaster management.
The IMD has reportedly forecasted that the monsoon will reach the southern Andaman Sea, Nicobar Islands and the South Bay of Bengal on Sunday.