Thiruvananthapuram: After a few months of torrid summer heat and water shortages in multiple districts, Kerala is bracing this week for a cyclonic storm that has been predicted shortly after the arrival of the South-West Monsoon on its shores over the weekend.
The India Meteorological Department said on Sunday that the cyclonic storm was brewing in the Arabian sea.
The storm is building up on the back of a low pressure area that has taken shape in the Arabian sea which is expected to concentrate into a depression over Monday and Tuesday.
Fishermen have been advised to stay away from the Kerala, Karnataka and Lakshadweep coasts. Fishermen in Kerala are already banned from using mechanised boats for fishing because the state is observing the annual 52-day trawling ban that coincides with the fish breeding season.
The state government is taking additional precaution this year to deal with monsoon-related emergencies in the backdrop of the devastation caused by the big flood of August 2018.
Several parts of Kerala received heavy rainfall on Sunday, and early on Monday. Orange-level alerts, indicating the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall, have been issued for the northern districts of Malappuram and Kozhikode for Wednesday.
In the coastal village of Valiyathura in Thiruvananthapuram, a two-storey building collapsed in the heavy rains, and many people have been moved to safe shelters.
On the brighter side, Kerala is also preparing to welcome tourists for monsoon tourism. Tourism industry operators in Munnar were quoted as saying that there was a rush of tourists from the Gulf countries and north Indian states to enjoy the monsoons in the hill station.
In 2018, Munnar received an estimated 300,000 tourists during the May-August season, while nearby tourist destinations like Vagamon, Ramakkalmedu and Panchalimedu also received large numbers of tourists.
