Recently, high sea waves or swell waves, had flooded numerous houses in the Kerala’s coastal areas.
- Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts of the south-western coastal state were the worst-hit by the waves.
- This flooding caused by the swell waves is called swell surge or Kallakkadal in Malayalam.
Key points
- Kallakkadal is a geographical phenomenon which causes flooding through high waves in the south-west coast of India.
- The term is used by local fishermen in the coastal areas.
- The term Kallakadal was officially approved by UNESCO.
- Kallakkadal is caused by swell waves which emerge due to ocean swell which is mostly caused by storms such as hurricanes or gale winds.