Well marked low pressure forms, rains lash Tamil Nadu

Chennai: Intermittent, widespread rains lashed Chennai and other regions of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday and the India Meteorological Department said the low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal has turned into a well-marked low pressure area and it is likely to become a depression.

Civic authorities said there has been no water stagnation in subways in Chennai in view of preventive maintenance and trees that fell were removed then and there. Water logging was, however, seen in several places, and the Greater Chennai Corporation said it has been pumping out water into stormwater drains.

The number of road users decreased sharply in city and suburbs with continuing rains and thunderstorms. Moderate to heavy, widespread rains lashed Chennai, Tiruvallur and other parts of the state.

Chennai Corporation announced a helpline number 1913. A holiday has been declared for schools and colleges and the government requested people to check the TN Alert App for weather updates. Flight and train operations, including Metro Rail, have so far not been affected.

Some people, who own cars in flood-prone Ram Nagar in Madipakkam parked their vehicles in nearby Velachery bridge, a key part of busy south Chennai, and some, reportedly, moved away from their homes to hotels.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin inspected several localities, including the Narayanapuram lake near Velachery and authorities said the surplus rain from the lake water drains into channels due to advance desilting work.

He inspected the integrated command and control centre of Chennai Corporation, functioning from its headquarters, the Ripon Building, here to review ongoing work to tackle the situation arising out of the rains.

The IMD said a well marked low pressure area formed by Tuesday morning over the central part of south Bay of Bengal.

The department said it is likely to intensify into a depression and continue to move west-northwestwards towards north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts during the next 2 days.

Since Monday night, Chennai and its suburbs have been experiencing intermittent rains.

Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday reviewed the preparations taken by authorities to tackle the situation that may arise in view of the heavy rain predicted by the met office.

The chief minister directed that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force be deployed in advance in the areas prone to be affected.