India’s Chennai on Red Alert Due to Heavy Rains

By Staff, Agencies

The Indian Meteorological Department [IMD] on Friday issued a red alert for coastal Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, after heavy rains lashed Chennai earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, the IMD predicted that the situation will remain the same for the next two days.

In the next 24 hours, thunderstorms with heavy rain are likely to occur in Chennai and adjoining districts and heavy to very heavy rain is likely in the next 48 hours, said S Balachandran, head, Regional Meteorological Centre [RMC], at a press conference in Chennai, adding that a red alert was issued for two days for all the coastal regions, the Hindustan Times reported.

IMD said heavy rainfall is due to a persisting cyclonic circulation over Comorin and adjoining Sri Lanka, extending up to 1.5km above sea level, and another low pressure is likely to form in the Bay of Bengal on November 29. On November 25, Chennai on an average received 55 mm rainfall and on November 26, up to 4.30pm, the city received 32.5 mm of rainfall, IMD data showed.

Relatively, the Greater Chennai Corporation [GCC] is operating more than 750 heavy duty pumps across the city to drain rain water.

Two heavy spells in the earlier weeks of November had already caused havoc among residents in the city. During the Northeast Monsoon spell from October 1 till November 25, Chennai and adjoining districts of Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Chengalpattu received excess to large excess of rainfall—more than 56% and 67% respectively, as per IMD.

GCC identified localities that were heavily flooded and made temporary measures in the last 10 days to divert stagnant water to the nearest canals, said Bedi. However, people continued to suffer with water stagnation.