Coastal areas across the State have been put on alert with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning that high waves are expected to lash the Kerala coast till Thursday night.
The forecast is valid for the coastal stretch from Pozhiyoor in Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod till 9.30 p.m. on Thursday. Waves as high as 2.5 metres to 3.3 metres are likely to lash the coast, according to the IMD.
Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea as strong winds are blowing from a westerly direction along the Kerala and Karnataka coasts with the ‘Very Severe Cyclone’, Vayu, moving on a north-northwesterly path in the Arabian Sea. While Kerala is not in the path of the cyclone, sea conditions are expected to remain rough for the next few days. “Strong winds from a westerly direction speed reaching 35-45 kmph gusting to 50 kmph are likely along and off Kerala coasts,” IMD said in an advisory.
Meanwhile, Kerala is likely to receive widespread rainfall on Thursday. The IMD has issued an orange alert for Malappuram for Thursday indicating the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall. Yellow alerts indicative of isolated heavy rainfall have been issued for Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kozhikode Kannur and Kasaragod for Thursday.
In Malappuram, dozens of houses along the coast of Ponnani and adjacent areas were damaged as the turbid Arabian Sea carved into the coast at places where the seawalls were missing. Hundreds of people living in the coast at Aliyarpalli, Marakkadavu, Murinjazhi, Puthuponnani, Azhikkal, Veliyankode, Thannithura, Palappetty and Kappirikkad evacuated their houses following the threat of sea erosion.
In Ernakulam, the situation in the coastal village of Chellanam continues to be grim with a significant rise in sea water level and flooding of Companyppady, Bazaar, and Velankanni in the panchayat.
The arterial road linking Ernakulam to Alappuzha district is under water on some stretches passing through the panchayat, denying easy access for people to health and other facilities.
