IMD says rain intensity to reduce from August 22
NEW DELHI: A common question being asked in Kerala and most of the southern states is by when the bad weather conditions will end. Not soon, if weather officials are to be believed. Sustained low pressure in the region is the cause of moderate to heavy rain from far-off Bay of Bengal.
The India Meteorological Department on Saturday said that the entire eastern Konkan coast from Maharashtra till Kerala will receive widespread rain next week. While the intensity of rainfall will reduce in Kerala from Wednesday, the regions north of the state will continue to receive good amount of rainfall.
Mritunjay Mohapatra, addition director general of IMD, said the intensity of the rainfall will reduce in Kerala in the coming days as there was some ease in the low pressure build-up over Arabian Sea. “Days before yesterday, there was heavy rainfall in almost all districts of Kerala. Yesterday, there was heavy rainfall in 3-4 districts. Today, we were expecting heavy rainfall in isolated places...,” he said Saturday.
Although relief is expected, the IMD officials did not rule out return of heavy rainfall in the next ten days or so, which has so far claimed nearly 222 lives this month and have left lakhs of people homeless. In fact, the 2,344 mm rainfall in Kerala this monsoon, half of which came since August 5, is enough to drown entire Delhi up to three floors, an official added.
Rain and floods is the biggest cause of loss of human life in India with 1,07,487 dying between 1953 and 2017, according to the Central Water Commission data presented in Rajya Sabha on March 19, 2018. On average 1,654 die because of floods and rains. This year, about 1,000 people have lost life due to water till mid-august.