Chennai: The northeast monsoon has gotten stronger in Tamil Nadu, which has led the state government and disaster management officials to issue red alerts in eight districts and an orange alert in Chennai. Officials are getting ready for rescue and relief efforts because there is a chance of a cyclone forming and very heavy rain is expected.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) says that Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Cuddalore, and Mayiladuthurai will get a lot of rain tomorrow. Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, and Ramanathapuram are all on red alert. Chennai, the state capital, is still on orange alert. As a safety measure, schools and institutions in four districts will stay closed.
A red alert means that more than 20 cm of rain will fall in 24 hours, while an orange alert means that between 11 and 20 cm of rain will fall very heavily. Puducherry, which is next door, has also declared a holiday for schools and institutions and is getting ready to help if needed.
The problem started when a low-pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal, around 400 km from Chennai. This might turn into a depression or cyclone that would impact north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and south Andhra Pradesh. B Amudha, the director of the Regional Meteorological Center (RMC) in Chennai, said, “By noon tomorrow, the system could become a depression, but whether it becomes a cyclone depends on big changes in the low-pressure area.”
Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Kanyakumari are all on orange alert. Today, Chennai got an average of 60 mm of rain, with Medavakkam getting the most at 100 mm. The RMC said that Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karikal saw at least 160 mm of rain between October 1 and 21, which is 59% more than typical.
Precautions and Safety Measures
At least 100 cusecs of water were let out of the Chembarambakkam reservoir in Kanchipuram district to stop floods. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin looked at flood control and infrastructure projects in south Chennai that would help water flow better into the sea. Authorities have also told fisherman not to go into the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and South Andaman Sea from October 23 to 26 since the winds would be strong, up to 65 km/h.
Farmers in Ambasamudram, Tirunelveli district, are asking the government to allow them to buy crops at their doors to avoid losing thousands of acres of paddy crops due to heavy rainfall. Flooding has already happened in low-lying parts of Tiruvarur district, and people in Vellore are worried about rainwater mingling with sewage.
The state government has said that monitoring officers will organize emergency relief operations in Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Thanjavur, and Tiruvarur, which are the districts most likely to be affected.