Chennai rains: IMD forecasts heavy rain as depression forms over southwest Bay of Bengal

As Tamil Nadu continues to battle heavy rain followed by Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, a depression has formed over the southwest Bay of Bengal predicting more rains across the state in the next three to four days, informed the India Meteorological Department. According to their latest information, a depression was formed on Wednesday across Tamil Nadu and southern coastal Andhra Pradesh on the evening of Thursday. 

Furthermore, depression is likely to cause scattered, heavy, very heavy, and extremely heavy rainfall in specific regions of Tamil Nadu and further light to moderate rains in other places. Informing about the same, IMD said that thunderstorms with scattered heavy to very heavy rain with isolated extremely heavy rain is likely to occur over several districts of Tamil Nadu including Tiruvallur, Kallakurichi, Salem, Vellore, Ranipet, and Tirupattur. Apart from that, heavy rains will be witnessed in areas like Nilgiris, Chengalpattu, Coimbatore, Namakkal, Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, and Puducherry. 

Meanwhile, the IMD has also issued a red alert for certain districts of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry for Thursday which includes Chennai, Kallakurichi, Tiruvallur, Salem, Tirupattur, Ranipet, and Vellore. 

Chennai rains: Rescue and relief operations underway

Earlier on Wednesday, the civic bodies went on an overdrive across 40 locations which are among the worst affected in the state. It further sanctioned 20 lakhs to all the wards for covering food expenses in shelters. Apart from that, assistant engineers were also given two lakh each for the emergency purchase of equipment required for the rescue operations. Along with this food supplies, clothes, and other things have been stocked at the regional and zonal offices while relief operations are underway with 11 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 7 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). 

Heavy rain across the state has caused a flood-like situation in several areas and as a result, the waterlogged neighborhoods have affected the daily routine of people leaving them stranded. Also, schools and colleges have declared a holiday due to the rain forecast by the met department. 

Meanwhile, the death toll due to rain-related incidents has climbed to 12 on Wednesday, informed the Tamil Nadu Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran. 

(With agency inputs, Image: PTI)