India's largest processed cashew exporter, 2,491 sq km around Ashtamudi: Kollam on the yellow alert list

Background

Kollam, on the yellow alert list in this rain spell, covers 2,491 sq km and had a population of 25,84,118.
The district was previously called Quilon and its administration is centred at Kollam City.
It has two revenue divisions, Kollam and Punalur, with three taluks under each.
Ashtamudi Lake, a large multi-branched water body with several islands, lies at the heart of the district.
Kollam has been the centre of Kerala's cashew industry since the Portuguese era in the 16th century, has hundreds of working cashew factories and is the largest processed cashew exporter in India.
The Arabian Sea lies to its west, Tamil Nadu to the east, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta to the north and Thiruvananthapuram to the south.