Chennai rains: Civic body gears up; releases more funds as IMD predicts more rainfall

Chennai is moving under the influence of the rainy season.

With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting heavy rainfall in Chennai hit by rainfall, the Greater Chennai Corporation has intensified its efforts to deal with tensions in the city. As a result, many homes have been flooded, and electricity has been cut off in many areas. A dozen people have died in flood-related incidents in Tamil Nadu, and unrelenting rain in the city has brought back painful memories of the 2015 floods.

The civil has prepared and inspected the 40 worst affected areas in Chennai on Wednesday; the weather agency forecast heavy rains on Thursday. According to a report published by several sources, more than 50 areas in the city were flooded with more than 2,500 flood-related complaints yesterday. According to reports, a fund of Rs 20 lakhs was given to 200 wards to cover the food costs of people living in shelters.

Rs 2 lakhs was given to each of the engineers’ assistants to deal with the urgent purchase of equipment, diesel, and other equipment. It is expected that they will employ ten additional staff members in each ward to facilitate the work. Apart from this, volunteers were available in 1913 to receive calls from the general public.

On November 9, Chennai Civic Corporation allocated Rs 4 crores for relief measures, reports Indian Express. Indian Express quoted Chennai Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi saying that 15 areas had been given Rs 3 crores to provide food for the needy. He also spoke on November 7. There were approximately 200 wards and specialized treatment camps in the city alone.

The Chennai community organization has also put food such as milk and bread in regional offices. In addition, the organization has identified 500 high-risk areas after the 2015 Chennai floods. With the construction of new stormwater drainage systems, the number of such sites on the list has decreased. Prakasam Street, Kolathur Main Road, Selvi Nagar, Senthil Nagar, AGS Colony are newly identified areas at risk.

“Most of the underground pipelines, aged 30, are not connected to the canals connecting canals with rivers. Some canals have blocks, but the work of widening the canals has not been done. The boats are fitted when the pumps are adequate, “the Professional quoted the official as saying.

The branch had increased the number of taps, and the Commissioner said the projects had been approved for funding. Civil society officials removed all debris and roadblocks from the Mambalam canal and formed regional teams and departmental representatives to ensure better cooperation.

Stress that occurred in the Bay of Bengal and which fell along the coast of Tamil Nadu on Thursday evening brought times of heavy rainfall to Chennai and other northern delta states. The graphs below show how the rains occurred within 24 hours from 4 pm Wednesday to 4 pm Thursday in different districts of Chennai. Heavy rain fell on Wednesday night around 11 pm and descended from Thursday morning.

According to the data, parts of northern Chennai appear to have received heavy rainfall, while Ennore Port recorded a total rainfall of 22.4 cm in 24 hours. The rain gauge station recorded at least 2 cm of rain every hour on Thursday morning. Nungambakkam recorded total rainfall of 20.2 cm on November 7, 2021. Heavy rain of 1.2 cm in the fifteen-minute range occurred between 12.45 pm and 1 pm.

Meenambakkam, the southern part of Chennai, recorded low rainfall compared to the northern and central parts of Chennai. Heavy 14.3 cm rainfall was recorded over 24 hours ending at 4 pm on Thursday. Greater Chennai police on Friday announced that traffic would be disrupted in the city as less than seven and eight roads in the town were closed due to water shortages caused by incessant rains in the city on Thursday.

Rainfall in Tamil Nadu dropped on Friday as depression in the Bay of Bengal weakened into a “well-marked area of ​​low pressure”. The weather crossed the Tamil Nadu coast between 5.30 pm and 6.30 pm on Thursday, with heavy rains and strong winds. A red warning issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has now been withdrawn.

On Friday, thunderstorms may appear in parts of the region, including Nilgiris, Coimbatore and Kanyakumari. Light to moderate rainfall may be present in many places throughout Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal. Schools and colleges are still closed on Friday.

Stress hit Chennai as rains flooded significant roads and neighbouring areas, disrupted electricity supply to more than 65,000 homes, delayed train work, and suspended and landed flights for about six hours on Thursday. Fourteen people have been killed in rain-related incidents in the province in the past 11 days.

The rains two weeks ago included an agricultural crop growing of at least 1.45 hectares of lakh and a horticultural crop of 6,000 hectares in the province. Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister MK Panneerselvam called this a “first measure”, adding that the actual loss of the long-term Samba rice crop, raised by about 44 lakh hectares, could only be assessed after the water receded.

Article Proofread and Edited by Shreedatri Banerjee