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Chennai gets breather from rain, free food to be offered at Amma Canteens today
The Chennai corporation on Wednesday started trials with drones to help supply essential items to residents who are living in low-lying areas
Despite a red alert being issued for Chennai and its adjoining districts on Wednesday, the city got a breather with no rains being recorded after over 11cm of rainfall lashed Chennai on Tuesday.
Even as the state government drained out rain water from arterial roads, several residential localities such as Thiruvanmiyur, Pallikaranai, Pattalam, Perambur, Mambalam, Vyasarpadi and Korattur, remained waterlogged.
The Chennai corporation on Wednesday started trials with drones to help supply essential items to residents who are living in low-lying areas. Schools and colleges have remained shut for two days since October 15 and the state also declared a government holiday on Wednesday.
Chief minister MK Stalin announced that food will be provided for free at the “Amma Canteens” on Wednesday and Thursday. He said that the government has been preparing for the last three months to mitigate the issues of flooding during the northeast monsoon. “Work on the stormwater drains and other preparations have helped. Ask for people‘s feedback,” Stalin told reporters after inspecting the flood-hit south Chennai.
After the DMK formed the government in 2021, an Advisory Committee for Mitigation and Management of Flood Risk was formed to provide recommendations for the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA). It was led by a former IAS official V Thiruppugazh. “We will implement the recommendations in a phased manner. About 25-30% of the work is pending and we will complete it soon,” Stalin said.
Weathermen earlier predicted heavy rainfall until October 18. A depression over the Bay of Bengal was about 320 km east-southeast of Chennai on Wednesday morning. “The depression is moving towards the northwest direction approaching the north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast,” said S Balachandran, director of the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai.
“It is expected to cross between Nellore and Puducherry near Chennai. In the next 24 hours (till October 17) there is a possibility of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in one or two places in the districts of Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Chennai. This doesn’t mean the entire district will get heavy to extremely heavy rainfall… There is no chance for the current system to be a cyclone.”
The north east monsoon began its activity in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. In the past 24 hours, five places recorded extremely heavy rainfall, 48 places recorded very heavy rainfall and 21 recorded heavy rainfall, the RMC said on Wednesday.
“Due to the current system, light to moderate rain at many places with thunderstorms and lightning at one or two places is likely to occur over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal area,” the RMC said. “Isolated heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy rain at one or two places is likely to occur over Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts. Heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Ranipet, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi districts and Puducherry. Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Tirupattur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Thanjavur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam districts and Karaikal area.”
