Weather systems give Tamil Nadu a miss, heavy rain in isolated parts
The red alert issued to 8 districts a day ago was brought down to three districts- Chennai and its adjoining districts such as Thriuvallur. 251 relief camps have been readied in Chennai by the city corporation. “22,000 personnel including officers, engineers, sanitation workers are on the field in Chennai for the north east monsoon,” said an official of the Greater Chennai Corporation
Chennai: Two weather systems that weathermen forecast would bring heavy rainfall to Tamil Nadu on October 22 did not cause havoc but brought heavy rains only in isolated places.
The well marked low pressure over the Arabian Sea concentrated into a depression on October 22 that was 1,010 km south west of Goa’s Panjim.
And another well marked low pressure in the Bay of Bengal off Tamil Nadu coast which had a possibility of intensifying into a depression, according to weathermen, did not intensify.
“It will not intensify into a depression. It is sort of diffusing and will cross the coast as a well marked low pressure,” said an official in the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai. And yet, under its influence rainfall occurred in most places across Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring union territory of Puducherry.
The red alert issued to 8 districts a day ago was brought down to three districts- Chennai and its adjoining districts such as Thriuvallur. 251 relief camps have been readied in Chennai by the city corporation. “22,000 personnel including officers, engineers, sanitation workers are on the field in Chennai for the north east monsoon,” said an official of the Greater Chennai Corporation.
Tamil Nadu’s Water Resources Department (WRD) on Wednesday issued a “high alert” for residents living along the Adyar and Kosasthalaiyar rivers after authorities increased the surplus water released to 500 cubic feet per second (cusecs) from 10 am. The inflow into the reservoir stood 2,170 cusecs as of 6 am. It increased following continuous rainfall. The reservoir, with a full capacity of 24 feet and 3,645 million cubic feet recorded a water level of 20.84 feet (2,815 mcft) on Wednesday, up from 18.52 feet last week. With that, the officials cautioned residents to be cautious since water levels in the Adyar river is expected to rise.
But they advised residents not to panic. “Since flood waters have been released in advance at Chennai’s drinking water sources, Chembarambakkam, Puzhal and Poondi, sufficient limits are being maintained,” said WRD’s chief engineer of the Chennai region. “Even in the event of very heavy rains, the amount of flood water released will be limited and it will safely reach the sea through Adyar and Kosasthalayar rivers. So the public need not panic.”
Kanchipuram district collector Kalaiselvi Mohan had declared a holiday for schools and colleges on October 22 due to the heavy rain forecast.
“There were two extremely heavy, 23 very heavy and 102 heavy rainfall reports, “ the RMC said in its 5.30pm bulletin. Periya Kalapet in Puducherry reported the highest of 25 cm rainfall on October 22. Following that it was Cuddalore district- 18cm and Thiruvallur district 17cm that reported the highest rainfall in Tamil Nadu. “For the next 24 hours the forecast is heavy to very heavy rainfall in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu.” Chennai reported 11 cm rainfall.
A day ago, Chief Minister M K Stalin held a meeting in Chennai with the department of disaster management and authorities of delta districts via video conference on Tuesday. He ordered district monitoring officers to immediately reach areas in the city as well as the districts which have been put under red and orange alert. The chief minister appointed a senior IAS officer each for 12 districts where heavy rainfall has been forecast.
