A red alert was issued in Tamil Nadu and schools and colleges were shut as heavy rains pounded several districts of the state on Thursday. Mobile medical units were deployed to counter waterborne diseases. The alert was sounded in 6 districts — Chennai, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram and Thiruvallur.
The red alert given for Chennai was withdrawn by the IMD on Thursday evening, and an Orange alert was issued for the capital and its neighbouring districts. The depression, IMD said was expected to cross in between Chennai and Puducherry early on Friday morning. Wind speed will be from 40-50 km/hr, it said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had, a day earlier, warned Chennai of heavy rains from Wednesday night due to low pressure over the Bay of Bengal moving closer to the coast. Here are top 10 updates on the rains that have thrashed the state.
Also Read: IMD Red Alert for Chennai, 4 Other Districts Today; Very Heavy Rainfall Likely in North Tamil Nadu
1. Tiruppur Records Maximum Rainfall: The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai on Thursday said that it was Kundhalam (Tiruppur district) which recorded a maximum rainfall of 20 cm, followed by Dharapuram (Tiruppur district) with 13 cm, and Thanjavur (Thanjavur district), Tiruppur Collectorate Camp office (Tiruppur district), Pandhalur (Nilgris district) with 12 cm each.
2. Holiday in Schools and Colleges: Red alert was further issued in 16 additional districts, including Cuddalore, Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Chennai, and Tiruvallur, as well as the Union Territory of Puducherry. A holiday has been declared for schools and colleges in over 19 districts across the state. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at Perambalur, Ariyalur, Dharmapuri, Tirupattur, Vellore and Ranipet, according to the Indian Metrological Department (IMD).
3. NDRF Teams Deployed: In Chennai, heavy showers were witnessed in Tambaram, Mylapore, Velachery, Ambattur, Saidapet, Chromepet, Royapetta, Parrys, Ekaathuthangal, Kotturpuram and Adyar Marina, after which the National Disaster Management Force (NDRF) deployed two teams for relief and rescue work.
4. Patients Shifted After Water Enters Hospital Building: The heavy rainfall, last week covered almost the entire city under sheets of water including downtown Mylapore and heavily inundated several parts of neighbourhoods including Velachery and rainwater entered state-run hospitals in KK Nagar and Chromepet prompting authorities to shift patients to other facilities.
5. Vehicles Moved to Safer Areas: Fearing damage, several residents of deluge-hit Ram Nagar in Madipakkam parked their cars on the nearby Velachery flyover’s margin or underneath similar facilities nearby.
6. People Told to Stock Essentials: The Chennai municipal corporation, had a day earlier, advised people to stock essentials for the next two days in the wake of the IMD prediction of heavy rainfall in the city and neighbouring districts. It also requested people not to venture out unnecessarily.
7. Flood Warning: Water level at the Mullaperiyar dam touched 141 feet (permissible level 142 ft) on Thursday, prompting the Public Works Department (PWD) authorities in Thekkadi to issue a second flood warning. Farmers in the region are hoping that as per the Supreme Court directive, the PWD authorities would store up to 142 ft in the Mullaperiyar dam now.
8. Traffic Diversions: The Chennai Traffic Police issued diversions at the Vani Mahal junction and vehicles proceeding towards Bazullah Road from G.N.Chetty Road –Vani Mahal junction were diverted towards G.N.Chetty Road, Habibullah Road. All vehicles proceeding from EVR Salai and PLC junction intending towards Vepery is diverted towards EVK Sampath Salai to reach Vepery, The Hindu reported.
9: Check on Reservoirs: The state government has been keeping a tab on the water levels in the reservoirs. The sluice gates of the Puzhal and Poondi reservoirs, which feed Chennai with the ‘metro water’, were raised to increase water flow to 3,000 and 6,000 cusecs. The low-pressure system is expected to shower more rains through Thursday before it crosses the coast on Thursday evening.
10: Heavy rain in Pondicherry: Heavy rain lashed Pondicherry on Thursday after the IMD issued a red alert in Chennai and its surrounding districts. The cities are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall and it is expected to continue across Tamil Nadu till November 21. Districts including Chennai, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram and Thiruvallur are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rain on Friday. The low-pressure area over south-east and south-west Bay of Bengal, with the associated cyclonic circulation, is likely to move westwards and reach west-central and adjoining south-west Bay of Bengal off the south Andhra Pradesh-north Tamil Nadu coast by November 18.
Read all the Latest India News here
Comments
0 comment