The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange' alert in Kerala's Wayanad district, warning of heavy rainfall for Thursday, August 15.
The weather department predicted heavy rainfall (7 cm to 11 cm in 24 hours) to very heavy rainfall (12 cm to 20 cm in 24 hours) in one or two places in Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kannur on Wednesday, and in Kozhikode and Wayanad on Thursday.
The warning comes weeks after massive landslides, triggered by heavy rain, had killed at least 229 people on July 30. About 130 persons continue to remain missing.
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The Kerala government had earlier claimed that the IMD failed to predict the extreme rainfall that triggered the landslides in Wayanad.
However, the IMD had refuted the allegations, with its chief, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, saying the weather department regularly issued forecasts for significant rainfall activity along the west coast of India and had issued a red alert for Kerala early in the morning on July 30.
The IMD chief had also said that an orange warning means “be prepared for action and one should not wait for red warnings”.
Wayanad landslides: Scientists point to climate crisis
A rapid analysis of the July 30 disaster by scientists indicates that bursts of rain made 10% heavier due to the climate crisis, and a 62% reduction in forest cover that has increased the susceptibility of slopes was likely to have triggered the landslides in Wayanad.
{{/usCountry}}A rapid analysis of the July 30 disaster by scientists indicates that bursts of rain made 10% heavier due to the climate crisis, and a 62% reduction in forest cover that has increased the susceptibility of slopes was likely to have triggered the landslides in Wayanad.
{{/usCountry}}While the scientists highlighted the limited nature of studies in the region, analysis found the role of climate crisis and change in land-use patterns over the years was undeniable.
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“The landslides that killed hundreds of people in Wayanad, northern Kerala were triggered by a burst of rainfall that was made about 10% heavier by human-caused climate change,” the analysis by World Weather Attribution, an international collaboration of scientists who analyse the influence of climate change on extreme weather events, said.