COLOUR CODES FOR FLOOD WARNING

Aug. 1, 2018

Kerala government issued an “orange alert” after water in Idukki reservoir came close to full storage level.

About:

Central Water Commission (CWC) of India uses a colour-coded warning system to alert local populations of the severity of a flood situation.
The colour-coded warning system includes Orange, Red and Yellow alert (refer table).
Water Levels wrt Flooding:
- Each flood forecasting station of the river has a defined ‘warning level’, ‘danger level’ and ‘highest flood level’.
  - While the warning and danger levels are fixed for a river, the highest flood level is adjusted every year ahead of the start of the flood season on the basis of levels reached the previous year.

Yellow alert

It is issued when the river is ‘above normal flood’ level.

i.e. the level is between the warning and danger levels.

Orange alert

It is issued when the river is in ‘severe flood’.

i.e. the level is between the danger and highest flood levels.

e.g. in Idukki, where the maximum storage level is 2,403 ft, the orange alert was issued after it reached 2,395 ft.

Red alert

It is issued when the waters breach the highest flood level.

e.g. In Idukki, a red alert would be issued if the water reaches 2,399 ft.

Source : Indian Express

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