India: Though not for first time
in the state, red rain in parts of Kannur on Thursday did create some
panic and curiosity among the residents in the district. The strange
phenomenon happened around 6:50am and lasted for 15 minutes. People in
the 1km area in and around Edachery in Puzhati panchayat panicked as
their courtyards turned blood red after rain.
Kannur block panchayat president Shaija M, who collected the sample of the rainwater, said the water was as dark as black coffee and had the smell of raw beetroot. "I thought someone killed some animal and its blood got mixed with water on the courtyard," she said. Akshay Sajeevan, another resident in the locality, said in his compound the colour of rainwater was a bit lighter. According to meteorological department, though red rain is a rare phenomenon, but it is no way harmful. "I assume this is due to atmospheric pollution. The pollutants in the air get dissolved in rainwater resulting in red rain," said M Santhosh, director of meteorological department, Thiruvananthapuram.
Normally such rains occur during the beginning of monsoon. This time it happened in the middle of the monsoon as monsoon is weak. The residents are now planning to give the sample of the red rainwater to the health department for analysis.
Source: Times of India
