After rains, Kerala faces drought, high temperature
MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND 3.9 LAKH FAMILIES WERE AFFECTED BY THE DEVASTATING FLOODS IN AUGUST LAST YEAR.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:SIX months after Kerala was hit by the flood of the century, the state is in the grip of a severe drought and experts have warned that heat wave conditions will persist in many areas of north Kerala for more than a month.
According to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), the maximum temperature is likely to go up by 6 degrees Celsius above normal in districts such as Palakkad, Kozhikode and Malappuram. It has also warned of sunstroke and other heat-related maladies during this period.
On Monday, at least four districts recorded maximum temperature above 36 degrees C, which is quite unusual at the beginning of summer months. Kerala usually records a maximum temperature of 34-35 degrees Celsius in the first week of March. Cattle and goat deaths were reported from Palakkad district.
In view of the prevailing heat wave conditions, the state labour department has rescheduled working hours, preventing outdoor work between 12 pm and 3 pm until further orders, and asked construction sites and farmers to comply with the order.
With the mercury level soaring, the KSDMA has listed necessary measures for people to follow in the coming days.
“Our warning is based on the India Meteorological Department assessment and other factors. We found an unusual rise in temperature this time and advised the concerned departments to take enough precautions,” said a senior official of the KSDMA, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“Every year temperature is going up steadily. But there is nothing to panic about. I feel the KSDMA warning is a slight exaggeration. Going by the possibility of a El Nino (this year) and global warming, it can go up to 2 degrees C in the state,” said Dr S Abhilash, an atmospheric science expert at the Cochin University of Science and Technology.
More than 300 people were killed and 3.9 lakh families were affected by the devastating floods in August last year