Kerala Farmers Alert: IMD Issues Orange Alert for 8 districts in the State

Kerala is anticipated to get heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning on Thursday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD has also issued an orange signal for eight districts in the state, indicating exceptionally heavy rain, in its weather report. 

Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Kannur are the districts in concern. Meanwhile, five more cities have been placed on yellow alert:  Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kasaragod. 

Over the Kerala coast, wind speeds are likely to reach 40-50 kmph around this period. Residents in mountainous regions are advised to be on the lookout for possible landslides. 

After analysing the meteorological conditions, the IMD issues three different sorts of alerts: red, orange, and yellow. When severe rains of more than 20 cm are expected in the next 24 hours, a red alert is issued. The colour orange represents very heavy rainfall ranging from 6 to 20 cm. 

A yellow alert implies 6 to 11 cm of rain is expected. 

Fishermen are urged not to venture into the sea in the state because of the rain forecast, according to the IMD. 

This follows a brief break in the monsoon. In October, severe rains wreaked havoc on the southern state, resulting in landslides in the south-central areas. This has resulted in the deaths of 42 people and the disappearance of six more. 

 Look What Distressed Farmer has to say: 

Vijayan R, farmer at Nedinjal, who has been farming for the past 15 years said "This is the fourth time our crops have been harmed by water in the area." We had planted around 500 plantains previously, but they were destroyed by the heavy rain. Apart from plantains, crops like spinach that were ready to harvest were entirely destroyed."  

Vijayan also pointed out that, despite recurrent crop losses due to heavy rain and flooding, the authorities in charge had done nothing to prevent the annual occurrence. 

"We have lost more than 30 lakh so far as a result of the region's continuous floods. The agriculture department, on the other hand, has not compensated us." Farmers who had planted a variety of crops were in this scenario.