Incessant rainfall has continued to batter Chennai, which recorded its second-highest November rainfall in a decade, according to official figures. The Tamil Nadu capital received 882.4mm rain this month till Sunday, just behind the 1,049 record rainfall received in 2015.
The northeast monsoon from October to December is when Tamil Nadu receives most of its rainfall, and since the monsoon set in late this year, Chennai received 215 mm rainfall in October, which was a deficit by 22%. However, the following month, Chennai recorded 79% excess rainfall, taking the toll to 1097.6 mm from October 1 to November 28. “In November alone, till now, we have received 882.4 mm rainfall,” said S Balachandar, head, Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai, adding that weathermen were unsure if Chennai will cross the 100cm rainfall milestone with just two days left for the month to end.
When asked about the reasons that contributed to an extreme weather condition this year, Balachandar said that there have been successive low-pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal this month that brought more rains. “We also had a depression that crossed near Chennai overnight between November 6 and November 7 that brought 21cm of rainfall,” he said.
The intensity of the rainfall has paralysed the capital city, its adjoining districts of Chengalpattu, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram and other districts.
{{/usCountry}}The intensity of the rainfall has paralysed the capital city, its adjoining districts of Chengalpattu, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram and other districts.
{{/usCountry}}In the last 24-hours, two people have died in Cuddalore and Thoothukudi respectively, the disaster management department said. As many as 15,016 people have been evacuated from low lying areas and accommodated in relief camps. Since heavy rains began in the first week of November, crops spread over 50,000 hectares in Tamil Nadu’s delta districts have been damaged.
The high rainfall has hampered normal life in the city, with water-logging reported in various parts of the city. 35-year-old M Kavitha scooped out more than 30 buckets of water from the entry of her house in Perumbakkam on Sunday. Though she lives on a higher floor, rainwater entered through an open balcony. She cannot step out since the water is knee-deep. “We have to been stuck inside for at least a week now since this water will take days to be pumped out,” she said. “And we have had no power for the past two days.”
The IMD on Friday issued a red alert for all the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai. Overall, Tamil Nadu received 76% excess rainfall this monsoon season. “Almost all districts except Madurai and Virudhunagar have received excess to large excess rainfall,” the IMD said in a bulletin. Up to 5.30 pm on Sunday, Meenambakkam in Chennai received 55mm rainfall, Cuddalore (70mm), Tiruchenduri in Thoothukudi (11mm), Cheyyur in Chengalpattu district received 19mm.
Boats were back on Chennai roads for rescue and relief operations in suburban localities such as Perumbakkam and Pallikaranai. The Greater Chennai Corporation increased its capacity of heavy-duty motor pumps from 750 to 850 on Sunday to drain excess water. Traffic was diverted in several areas as roads had to be blocked due to waterlogging.
A holiday has been declared for schools in Chennai, Thiruvallur and several other districts for Monday due to the rains as the IMD has predicted heavy rains for Chennai in the next 24-hours and heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places over Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts and heavy rain over Thoothukudi and Ramanathapuram districts. Thunderstorms with moderate rain are likely to occur at most places over the rest of Coastal Tamil Nadu.
Chief minister M K Stalin, who has been inspecting flood-affected areas in Chennai and its neighbouring districts since Saturday, tweeted that meteorologists suggested that this is the fourth-highest rainfall in a single month and that it was vital to prevent loss of life and property. Independent weather blogger Pradeep John said that Chennai recorded 1,003 mm until 7.30 pm in November.