Thiruvananthapuram | The KSDMA on Saturday said that the CBS mechanism for providing rapid alerts about natural and man-made disasters and emergencies has been temporarily put on hold on the directions of the NDMA.

Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) member secretary Sekhar Kuriakose said in a statement that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) sent a letter on Friday night asking that the cell broadcast system (CBS) be put on hold.

"The letter has been sent to all states," Kuriakose said in an audio message.

He said that the reasons for putting the system on hold are not clear in the NDMA letter.

"However, we all have asked that it be made operational again as soon as possible," he added.

The CBS was launched last month by the central government.