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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Rain disrupts normal life across Tripura and Manipur, authorities issue red alert for three districts
AGARTHALA: Heavy rain threw normal life out of gear across several parts of Tripura on Friday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting more intense showers over the next 24 hours. The state capital, Agartala, recorded 25 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, according to officials. The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by squally winds reaching speeds of 50–60 km/h across the state due to a deep depression over the Northwest Bay of Bengal. In response, a red alert was issued for Sepahijala, West Tripura, and Khowai districts on Thursday. An official from the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) confirmed that while all eight districts recorded rainfall, no major damage to property or loss of life has been reported. 'Despite intermittent downpours, there is no report of flooding. However, normal life is partially affected with people preferring to remain indoors,' the official said. District administrations have been put on alert and are prepared to respond to any emergency arising from potential flooding. Meanwhile, flight operations at Agartala Airport were impacted on Thursday, with two Kolkata-bound flights cancelled due to poor weather. However, services resumed normally on Friday, according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Authorities continue to monitor the situation as weather conditions remain unstable.
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Rain hits normal life across Tripura; IMD issues red alert in three districts
AGARTHALA: Heavy rain threw normal life out of gear across several parts of Tripura on Friday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting more intense showers over the next 24 hours. The state capital, Agartala, recorded 25 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, according to officials. The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by squally winds reaching speeds of 50–60 km/h across the state due to a deep depression over the Northwest Bay of Bengal. In response, a red alert was issued for Sepahijala, West Tripura, and Khowai districts on Thursday. An official from the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) confirmed that while all eight districts recorded rainfall, no major damage to property or loss of life has been reported. 'Despite intermittent downpours, there is no report of flooding. However, normal life is partially affected with people preferring to remain indoors,' the official said. District administrations have been put on alert and are prepared to respond to any emergency arising from potential flooding. Meanwhile, flight operations at Agartala Airport were impacted on Thursday, with two Kolkata-bound flights cancelled due to poor weather. However, services resumed normally on Friday, according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Authorities continue to monitor the situation as weather conditions remain unstable.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
State declares shipwreck a disaster, announces aid for fisherfolk
Thiruvananthapuram: The state govt on Thursday declared the recent shipwreck off Kochi as a state-specific disaster and announced immediate relief for affected fisherfolk. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said each impacted family in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts would receive Rs 1,000 and six kilograms of free rice as interim relief. Liberian cargo vessel MSC ELSA 3 had capsized around 14.6 nautical miles off Thottappally on Sunday. The Coast Guard initially reported the vessel to the State Disaster Management Authority at 4pm on May 24 after it listed 38 nautical miles off Kochi. It was carrying 643 containers, including 13 with calcium carbide and 46 with hydrazine-based plastic components. Around 100 containers are estimated to have fallen into the sea, Vijayan said. As many as 54 containers have washed ashore along the coasts of Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. Nurdles, small plastic pellets, have been released onto the beaches, particularly in Thiruvananthapuram, from some containers. Cleaning operations are underway, with police, SPC volunteers, Aapta Mitra teams and civil defence personnel deployed across affected zones. Drone surveys have been completed to identify contaminated areas, he said. The govt has contacted MSC regarding the environmental impact, loss of livelihoods and tourism damages. The company has been urged to remove the ship from the Kerala coast. The Coast Guard, Navy, NDRF's CBRN team and fire and rescue services are actively involved in the response operations. A sonar survey is being launched to accurately locate the sunken vessel and surrounding containers. Once mapped, the area will be marked with buoys, and restricted fishing zones may be revised accordingly. Fishing is prohibited within a 20-nautical-mile radius of the sunken site. Vijayan said 20 containers were handed over to Customs, and more were being moved to Kollam. Deputy nautical advisor Capt Aneesh Joseph has been appointed as the nodal officer to assist Kerala in filing insurance claims, leveraging his experience with other state govts. P&I (Protection & Indemnity) Insurance has set up a claims desk in Kochi. Efforts to extract the ship's fuel are ongoing while authorities have clarified that calcium carbide containers likely sank to the seabed due to their weight, posing no immediate risk. Agencies are testing water and sand samples for contamination, and current assessments indicate no need to avoid seafood. The removal of the vessel and remaining containers is expected only after the monsoon season, the CM said.
India Today
2 days ago
- General
- India Today
Kerala begins relief and recovery after cargo spill hits coastal areas
In the aftermath of a maritime mishap, around 100 containers from a cargo ship, carrying hazardous and non-hazardous goods, are suspected to have fallen into the sea off the Kerala vessel had a total of 643 containers, including 13 carrying calcium carbide, 46 with hydrazine-based plastic and one with a rubber compound, besides others containing wood, cloth and fruits. Notably, 73 containers were per reports, plastic nurdles (tiny plastic pellets used in manufacturing) have already started washing up on the shores of Thiruvananthapuram, raising environmental concerns. To address the immediate fallout, the Kerala government will provide temporary relief to affected fishing families in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam. Each family will receive Rs 1,000 and 6 kg of free rice as part of a relief confirmed that containers holding calcium carbide sank due to their weight and currently pose no immediate threat to marine life or seafood safety. However, thorough inspections are State Disaster Management Authority has issued guidelines for managing spilled containers and plastic Director General of Shipping held a meeting on Thursday with the Chief Secretary of Kerala, deciding that all recovered containers will be handed over to Customs. So far, 20 have been submitted; the remaining will be taken to MSC Company, the ship's operator, held discussions with the state to assess the environmental impact, fisherfolk livelihood loss and tourism have been made for the complete removal of the ship from Kerala's coast. Fuel extraction from the vessel is scheduled for June 3, while container recovery efforts will resume Nautical Advisor Captain Aneesh Joseph has been assigned to assist Kerala's government in this effort, particularly in managing compensation claims and overseeing maritime recovery Watch
The Hindu
2 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Kerala government declares Kochi shipwreck a State disaster
The Kerala government has declared the wreckage of the Liberian-flagged cargo ship, MSC ELSA-3, which sank 14.6 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala on May 24, a State-specific disaster. Tinku Biswal, Principal Secretary of the State Disaster Management Department, stated that the shipwreck posed a potentially serious threat to Kerala's coast, both environmentally, socially, and economically. Ms. Biswal stated in the government order that the maritime incident had raised serious environmental concerns, including the potential for oil spills and drifting of debris, including cargo containers, in the littoral waters abutting Kerala's 640 km coastline. The order permits the State Disaster Management Authority to mobilise resources, including personnel and significant sums of money from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), for expeditious relief efforts. The container ship, which had set course for Kochi from Vizhinjam, foundered after encountering heavy weather 38 km southwest of its port of call. A perilous combination of heavy seas, possible hull leakage, mechanical failure and perhaps unbalanced cargo reportedly caused the ship to list heavily before capsizing and sinking. The Coast Guard rescued the ship's crew, comprising up to 21 individuals from various nationalities, including Russia and the Philippines. The Customs department verified the ship's cargo manifesto. It said the sunk vessel threw 640 containers, including 12 containing hazardous incendiary material, overboard when it flipped over. Thus far, at least 54 containers have washed ashore on the beaches of Kollam (43), Thiruvananthapuram (9), and Alappuzha (2). Nevertheless, flotsam from damaged containers battered by the high seas off Kerala's coast could wash up on the southern beaches of Kerala. Piles of minute plastic and polythene granules washed ashore on the Thiruvananthapuram coast, raising the spectre of enduring microplastic pollution. The government has enlisted volunteers and launched a beach cleaning programme.
