Incessant rainfall, inundated roads and flooded homes are what people in Bengaluru and Chennai have been witnessing for the past couple of days, bringing life to a total standstill. Amid this, the weather department issued flood warnings in South India on Wednesday.
Damage and deluge in TN
Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai has been undergoing the wrath of rain for more than two days leaving most roads flooded and making it difficult for commuters to travel.
The situation is so dire that the state government has declared holidays for schools, colleges and government offices in Chennai and nearby districts of Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu.
As per IMD, the worst is yet to come as it has predicted intensified rains for today (October 16) till it tapers on October 18.
Meanwhile, the MK Stalin-run government has set up about 900 relief camps and has ordered Amma canteens to offer food free of cost.
A drenched Bengaluru
The situation in Karnataka’s capital is no different. Although the city of Bengaluru is prone to rainfall, the downpour is severe this year.
The met department has issued an ‘orange alert’ for the city as over 150 houses across Bengaluru were left completely submerged.
Many IT firms have asked employees to work from home as commute remains a challenge due to the flooded streets.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday advised people to take necessary precautions following incessant rains in the city, as he declared the government’s preparedness to deal with the situation.
He said the government has the “strength” to manage the situation and “set right” the issues that have cropped up due to the rains.
“I appeal to citizens to take necessary precautions in the wake of the rains. There might be some traffic issues today,” Shivakumar, who is also the Minister in charge of Bengaluru Development, said.
A test match between India and New Zealand was cancelled owing to the rains.
Cyclone warnings
Ronanki Kurmanath, the Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh Disaster Management Authority, announced that a cyclonic storm is anticipated to make landfall along the coast between Puducherry and Nellore by Thursday morning. This development follows the intensification of a depression in the southwest Bay of Bengal into a cyclone.
“Depression over SW Bay of Bengal moved WNW during past 6 hours and lay centered at 0830 hrs IST of 16 Oct 2024 over the same region, about 320 km ESE of Chennai (Tamil Nadu), 350 km ENE of Puducherry and 400 km SE of Nellore (Andhra Pradesh). It is likely to move WNW and cross N Tamil Nadu – S Andhra Pradesh coasts between Puducherry and Nellore, close to Chennai during early morning of 17 Oct,” the IMD wrote on X.
With inputs from agencies
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Flood warnings in South India as heavy rains batters Bengaluru, Chennai
