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Cyclone Ditwah: Flights cancelled, schools closed due to heavy rain in Chennai
The Greater Chennai Corporation had 107 boats on standby to rescue civilians in low-lying areas and shelter them in relief centers, if necessary
Chennai: Eighteen domestic flights were cancelled at the Chennai airport while schools and colleges in the city were closed, owing to heavy rains triggered by the remnants of Cyclone Ditwah that weakened into a depression on Tuesday. The Greater Chennai Corporation had 107 boats on standby to rescue civilians in low-lying areas and shelter them in relief centers, if necessary. The city remained on orange alert throughout the day.
On Tuesday several parts of Chennai recorded extremely heavy rainfall- Ennore (260 mm), Parrys (250 mm), Ice House (220 mm), Manali New Town and Ponneri (21 mm). Several arterial roads and subways across Chennai were affected, throwing traffic out of gear. Officials waded through ankle deep water to inspect several localities.
The Depression (Remnant of Cyclonic Storm Ditwah) over southwest Bay of Bengal, north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and South Andhra Pradesh coasts moved slowly south with the speed of 3 kmph at 8.30am about 40 km east of Chennai, 120 km northeast of Puducherry, 140 km northeast of Cuddalore and 190 km south of Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore, said the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
“The minimum distance of the centre of the depression from north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts is about 25 km,” the IMD said. The weather body forecast that its intensity would remain as a depression throughout Tuesday. “Thereafter, while moving towards the coast it is very likely to weaken into a Well-marked low-pressure area during subsequent 12 hours,” the IMD said.
Three hundred personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 50 personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are on standby in Chennai. A total of 1,496 motor pumps of various capacities, including 170 100Hp motor pumps and 550 tractor-mounted pumps, are ready to discharge rainwater from rainwater harvesting areas in 15 zones under the Greater Chennai Corporation.
The Greater Chennai police said that 48 trees had fallen across the city on December 1, which were removed and they had rescued 10 people, who were living in low-lying areas and brought them to the civic body’s shelters.
The Chennai airport authorities posted the list of flight cancellations on X, and added, “Passengers are requested to check with the airline for updates.”
