Kerala, located on the Malabar Coast of India, was established on November 1, 1956, following the enactment of the States Reorganisation Act. This formation resulted from combining Malayalam-speaking regions from the former entities of Cochin, Malabar, South Canara, and Travancore. Covering an area of 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi), Kerala stands as the 21st largest Indian state. It shares borders with Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. According to the 2011 census, Kerala is the 13th most populous Indian state, with approximately 33 million inhabitants. Administratively, the state is divided into 14 districts, with Thiruvananthapuram serving as the capital. Malayalam is the predominant language spoken and is also the official language of the state.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for three districts in Kerala, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, and Pathanamthitta, in response to intense rainfall on Thursday. Yellow alerts have also been declared for several other districts, such as Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Idukki, for Friday. An orange alert signifies the expectation of very heavy rains, ranging from 6 cm to 20 cm, while a yellow alert indicates the likelihood of heavy rainfall between 6 to 11 cm.
The IMD’s forecast includes thunderstorms with light to moderate rainfall and gusty winds in specific areas of Kerala, including Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Kannur throughout the day. Earlier, widespread heavy rainfall had resulted in flooding in various parts of the state, leading to the temporary closure of educational institutions in affected areas like Kottayam, Vaikom, and Changanassery taluks on October 3.
In response to the flooding, the district administration established 17 relief camps, providing shelter to approximately 246 individuals. The extensive downpour submerged numerous acres of paddy fields in Edathua, a small hamlet in the Kuttanad region in Alappuzha district. The Disaster Management Authority has urged residents in high-altitude areas to exercise extra caution due to the ongoing rains. Furthermore, the IMD predicts that a new Western Disturbance will likely bring rainfall to the Western Himalayan Region starting from the night of October 13, with the plains of Northwest India expected to experience rainfall from October 14 onwards.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts the withdrawal of the Southwest Monsoon from certain areas within the next two days. These areas encompass portions of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, segments of Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha, parts of Karnataka, and the remaining areas of Telangana, Maharashtra, and Central Arabia.