Rainfall to increase in Kerala, several polling stations disrupted

Even as the North East Monsoon has Kerala in its clutches, the state is poised to receive even heavier downpour. The state has witnessed incessant rainfall following the Orange alert that was issued by thew authorities. The rainfall is scheduled to increase in several places. 

READ | Kochi : Schools To Remain Shut, Following Orange Alert By IMD

Rainfall to increase in Kerala

The downpour is set to increase in several parts of the state like Alappuzha, Kollam, Kottayam, Idukki and Thrissur among others. According to the District Rainfall Forecast for Kerala and Lakshadweep, the probability of rainfall is very likely. In addition, the intensity of rainfall is predicted to be very heavy. 

READ: Heavy Rain Affects Normal Life In Ernakulam

Moreover, the rainfall will decrease only by October 24. Even so, an alert has been given by the authorities to prevent any mishaps. However, the rains on Monday disrupted train services. Meanwhile, in Kochi, schools were to remain shut because of heavy rains. The streets are severely water logged.

READ | Maharashtra Assembly Polls: Power Outage & Rains Fail To Deter Voters

Orange alert issued

Orange alert was issued by authorities for Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Idukki, Wayanad Palakkad and Malappuram districts on Sunday.

“The low-pressure area over the east-central Arabian sea is likely to become a well-marked low during the next 36 hours," the IMD bulletin issued on Sunday said.

Meanwhile, even the fishermen have been warned from venturing out to the seas. The wind speed is expected to reach 45-55 kmph and is likely to prevail over the southeast and east-central the Arabian Sea. The rains also disrupted the polling in several places like Ernakulam where many polling booths were destroyed. 

By-Polls disrupted

Early voters queued up at polling stations in the five assembly constituencies in Kerala to cast their votes. A total of 9.57 lakh voters are expected to participate in the polls being held in Vattiyoorkavu (Thiruvananthapuram), Aroor (Alapuzha), Konni (Pathnamthitta), Ernakulam and Manjeshwaram (Kasaragod). The IMD has also predicted thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds at isolated places in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Beed and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra on Monday.

READ: Rain Likely In Many Parts Of Maha During Polling Day On October 21