Bhatkal: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), responsible for reporting the weather, has repeatedly proven ineffective in providing accurate information regarding rainfall.

An orange alert was issued across coastal Karnataka, including Bhatkal, on Sunday. However, the rains were so heavy that Bhatkal alone recorded 209 mm of rain, forcing many people to evacuate from the affected areas to safer places in Honnavar, Kumta, and Udupi with the help of the NDRF team. Despite the heavy rains, no holiday was given in schools and colleges.

In response to the heavy rain on Sunday, holidays were declared in schools and colleges on the following Monday and Tuesday. Surprisingly, a red alert was issued for the entire coastal Karnataka on Tuesday, but there was no heavy rain on that day, only normal rain. The rainfall recorded between Monday 8 am and Tuesday 8 am was only 79 mm, and between Tuesday 8 am and Wednesday 8 am, it was only 19 mm, despite the red alert.

Heavy rain was recorded in Bhatkal and coastal Karnataka on Thursday and Friday and again on Sunday, but only an orange alert was issued by the Meteorological Department. On days with normal rain, the IMD issued a red alert, and schools and PU colleges were closed by the district administration based on IMD warnings.

It should be noted that the Meteorological Department forecasts rainfall for the next four days, in addition to the current day, making a total of five days. Forecasts are color-coded for ease of understanding:

• Green: All is well; no advisory is issued.
• Yellow: Be aware. Indicates severely bad weather spanning several days and suggests that the weather could worsen, disrupting day-to-day activities.
• Orange: Be prepared. Issued as a warning of extremely bad weather with the potential to disrupt commute, road and rail closures, and interruptions of power supply.
• Red: Take action. Issued when extremely bad weather conditions are certain to disrupt travel, power, and pose significant risk to life.

Sources indicate that the IMD's inconsistent alerts have caused confusion and disruption among residents and local authorities.