Chennai Rains LIVE Updates: Met predicts more rain; SDRF, fire dept on standby

All preventive measures have been taken in the State to meet the North East Monsoon challenges, Tamil Nadu electricity minister V Senthil Balaji said on Tuesday. A total of 1.5 lakh electricity board staff are in preparedness and special officers have been appointed 24X7 to monitor during rains, the minister told reporters. (PTI)

As Chennai received heavy rain on Tuesday, minister for municipal administration minister K N Nehru claimed that waterlogging was reported from very less number of places this time, compared to last year, as the city corporation had completed work on 157km of the total 220km of storm water drains. He said locations like Seethammal Colony, Pullianthope High Road, G N Chetty Road, K K Nagar and Kolathur didn’t have much waterlogging. These areas had more than knee-deep water last year. The minister added that several localities such as Senthil Nagar, Poompuhar Nagar and Venus Colony in Kolathur that used to be inundated with hip-deep water had not seen much waterlogging.

Chief minister M K Stalin on Tuesday held a review meeting with the senior officials on monsoon preparedness as the India Meteorology Department forecast very heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu due to the onset of northeast monsoon. Among major dams/reservoirs, 43 reservoirs are 75% to 100% full and 17 reservoirs are 50% to 75% full. In a video conference with the collectors of 21 districts, and senior bureaucrats, the chief minister issued a slew of directions, including the constitution of inter-zonal teams for continuous monitoring of areas that would be affected. Educational institutions, oil companies and telecom service providers should remain ready, besides the rescue teams to reach out to the affected areas.

As per an India Meteorological Department forecast, the northeast monsoon hit Tamil Nadu on October 29. In Chennai, CCTV cameras for monitoring floods have been installed in many parts, while barricades have also been put up as metro work is under way. The weatherman has predicted heavy rain in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry till Friday. Chief minister MK Stalin has called an urgent meeting of top officials of the state at the secretariat.

Moderate to heavy rain with thunderstorm and lightning is likely to occur at isolated places over Thiruvallur, Chennai, Kanchipuram and Chengalpet districts in the next three hours. Thunderstorm and lightning with light to moderate rain is likely to occur at isolated places over The Nilgiris, Ranipettai, Vellore, Thirupattur, Dharmapuri, Thiruvannamalai, Kallakurichy, Viluppuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Ariyalur and Karur districts in the next three hours.