Rains lash Tamil Nadu, schools closed in many districts

NEW DELHI: Widespread rains lashed parts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday, prompting authorities to declare a holiday for schools in Chennai and many other districts. With the people yet to come to terms with the devastation caused in 14 districts across Tamil Nadu by Cyclone Fengal, the intense rain throughout the state inundated several areas and submerged standing crops in the districts.

In Chennai, apprehensive of destruction to their cars, many residents parked their vehicles on the Velachery flyover. At many places in the city people had to confront knee-deep water even on the arterial roads and many residential areas were flooded due to the rain since Wednesday night.

“We didn’t want to take the risk of losing our cars, so we parked our vehicles on the flyover,” a resident of Velachery said. Traffic at Kathipara, Poonammallee, Porur, Maduravoyal, Vysarpadi, and Chennai suburbs came to a standstill with all sorts of vehicles getting stranded in the rainwater. Residents of Vyasarpadi and Pallavaram complained that water logging in their areas during monsoon has become a regular feature.

They hoped the civic authorities would ensure an effective mechanism to drain excess flood water and make the roads safe and motorable. Atleast three subways here were heavily inundated with rainwater, forcing the civic body to temporarily shut them.

Efforts were on to bail out the water. Several areas in Thiruvannamalai, which had experienced mud slips atleast four times when Cyclone Fengal crossed the Tamil Nadu and Karaikal coast on November 30, and some parts in the southern districts, as well, were swarmed by swathes of water. An NDRF team has been deployed at Thiruvannamalai, equipped with advanced disaster management equipment to respond to any emergency, an official said.

Also read Tamil Nadu schools closed in several districts amid heavy rainfall; red alert issued

In Thiruvannamalai, the Sri Arunachaleswar temple staff and volunteers braved the downpour to carry the 6.5 feet high copper cauldron (koparai) with the Lord's name on their lips, to place it atop the 2,668 feet high mountain to light the Maha Deepam on December 13 evening. The lighting of the gigantic ghee lamp on the hill top marks the conclusion of the annual 10-day Karthiga deepam festival at the renowned temple. The Bharani deepam will be lit at the temple on Friday morning.

According to a source in Public Works Department (PWD) the reservoirs and tanks in the state which were replenished due to heavy downpour triggered by the recent cyclone, were now receiving copious inflows. The water level in many dams reached 60 to 80 percent, he said. Following a sudden increase in the inflows into the Sathanur dam in Thiruvannamalai district that sharply surged the water level, about 13,000 cusecs water was released from the reservoir today.

1,000 cusecs water was released from the Poondi dam

In Chennai, about 1,000 cusecs water was released from the Poondi dam, one of the chief sources of drinking water to the metro, in the afternoon and the quantum was gradually increased to about 5,000 cusecs in the evening, PWD said. The water level in the Chembarambakkam dam here inched towards the full reservoir level. Its present level stood at 21.90 feet against its full level capacity of 24 feet. Its storage increased to 84.88 percent owing to heavy rain in the catchment areas. The six lakes/dams supplying drinking water to Chennai with a total storage capacity of 13,213 Mcft water at present have a combined storage of 10,487 Mcft water that is 79.37 percent.

The state government has urged people in the low lying areas to remain vigilant and take appropriate action. It said 2,000 cusecs of surplus water will be released from Pichatur reservoir into the Arani river.

“The state received 16 per cent more than normal rainfall during this North East Monsoon which commenced on October 15. The NEM is likely to intensify and last till mid-January 2025,” IMD Regional Meteorological Centre director S Balachandran said. The well-marked low pressure area which lay centred in the Mannar Bay will weaken into a depression in the next 12 hours causing heavy to very heavy rainfall activity in the coastal and interior districts of Tamil Nadu, he told reporters here. Balachandran said there was an indication of another system forming in the Andaman Sea on December 15.

NDRF deployed for rescue operations

Following the heavy rainfall warning issued by the IMD, six NDRF teams have been alerted to swing into rescue and relief activity in case of emergency, the government said. Overnight rains lashed Chennai and the neighbouring Tiruvallur, Chengelpet and Kancheepuram, besides Villupuram and some areas in the Cauvery delta region. Following sharp showers, authorities declared a day's holiday for schools in districts, including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengelpet, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai and Cuddalore. The regional weather office has forecast more spells of rain in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengelpet and Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur districts in the state, besides the neighbouring union territory Puducherry.

Paddy crop ready for harvest in Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts was submerged in rainwater. Three electric poles collapsed due to heavy rain near Mannargudi in Thiruvarur district, said police.