Heavy rains lash Kerala, affect normal life; state still deficient in monsoon rainfall

In Thiruvananthapuram district, the heavy rains in the last few days partially damaged 23 houses and destroyed crops worth over ₹43 lakh.

One person went missing in the Vamanapuram river near Vithura Ponnamchund bridge on 1 October and the search is still on for him, the district administration said.

CWC issues an orange alert

Meanwhile, the Central Water Commission (CWC) issued an orange alert for Aruvippuram station on Neyyar river in Thiruvananthapuram as the water level there was above the danger mark.

It also issued yellow alerts for Vellaikatav station on the Karamana river (Thiruvananthapuram), Thumbaman station on the Achankovil river (Pathanamthitta) and Kallupara station on the Manimala river (Pathanamthitta).

Therefore, those who live near these rivers should be careful, the CWC said.

The intense weather pattern is expected to continue in the coming days with the IMD predicting rain and thunderstorms to occur at many places in the state between 3-5 October.

Thunderstorms with lightning accompanied by gusty winds with speeds reaching 30-40 kmph are very likely to occur at one or two places in Kerala from October 3 to 5, the IMD said.

Normal life comes to a halt

The heavy rains in the state in the last few days caused flooding in various areas of the state and led to the closure of educational institutions.

A holiday was declared by the district administration for educational institutions in Kottayam, Vaikom and Changanassery taluks on Tuesday, 3 October, where 17 relief camps are providing shelter to around 246 people due to flooding in those areas.

In Alappuzha, a holiday was declared for educational institutions in Cherthala and Chengannur taluks which were running relief camps, the district administration said.

The state has been receiving widespread rains for the last three-four days and numerous incidents of trees being uprooted, waterlogging, and compound walls collapsing were reported in many places.

However, no major casualties have been reported anywhere in the state so far.

The heavy downpour had earlier submerged hundreds of acres of paddy fields at Edathua, a tiny hamlet in the Kuttanad region in Alappuzha district.

The Disaster Management Authority has urged people living in high ranges to maintain extra vigil in view of the incessant rains.

Also Read: Extended Southwest Monsoon: Yellow alert in three districts

34 percent deficit in monsoon rainfall

Despite heavy rains lashing several parts of Kerala in the last few days, the state is still deficient in monsoon rainfall, the IMD has said.

Kerala received 34 percent deficient rainfall during the Southwest Monsoon this year while the country as a whole saw a six percent deficit in rains.

As the Southwest Monsoon is now past in the withdrawal date of 30 September, the rains are expected to reduce from Wednesday, 4 October, onwards, IMD sources said.

The heavy rains which lashed many parts of Kerala on Tuesday were due to the low-pressure system over Jharkhand, they said and added that the withdrawal of the monsoon was complete in three to four states of north-west India.

“The conditions are favourable for the withdrawal of the southwest monsoons. The rains will reduce from tomorrow,” K Santhosh, director of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Trivandrum told PTI.

He said Lakshadweep received a 15 percent deficit rainfall but that is considered normal.

“Upto 19 percent variability is considered a normal monsoon in certain areas. However, south peninsular India received a deficit rainfall as the total rainfall was only 92 percent,” Santhosh said.

Also Read: Predictions of a good Northeast Monsoon

India received 92 percent rainfall

India received 92 percent rain during the monsoon season, 6 percentage points below the long-period average. The country has recorded a total of 814.9 mm of rain against the normal average of 865 mm.

Gujarat reported rainfall at 90.67 percent, followed by Kerala at 86.61 percent, Rajasthan at 80.15 percent, Karnataka at 74.16 percent, and Telangana at 64.66 percent.

He said the present rainfall in Kerala, caused by the low-pressure system over Jharkhand, “is expected to move westwards and the westerly winds have also slackened. So rainfall is likely to reduce”, Santhosh said.

Change in monsoon pattern

Admitting that there has been a change in the monsoon pattern in India in recent years, the director said that one of the contributing factors could be climate change.

“Some days we have excess rainfall and the dry spell days have increased. There is a higher variability in monsoon showers,” Santhosh said.

He said the El Nino in the Pacific has affected the monsoon pattern in India.

“The Indian Ocean dipole is positive. So when we have an El Nino coupled with the Indian Ocean dipole positive, we are expecting to have heavier rains during the northwest monsoon,” Santhosh said.

The monsoon season this year had a late onset and sluggish progress due to the El Nino effect.

Related: It is a climax, not curtains as the Southwest Monsoon overstays

Extreme weather events

Many parts of the country suffered from extreme weather events during the four-month-long monsoon season.

The cyclone Biporjoy over the Arabian Sea, which is a clear indication of the Arabian Sea heating up due to climate change, during the month of June, helped the onset of monsoon over Kerala, but it sucked out all the moisture from the air and stalled the progress and performance of the monsoon in June.

The absence of monsoon rains also paved the way for humid heat waves across East India, a phenomenon which is becoming worse due to global warming with excessive evaporation and moisture in the atmosphere.

The September rains have helped the country improve its water tables and save it from a possible drought.

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