India (Commonwealth Union)_ The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning announcement, forecasting heavy rainfall in various regions of Tamil Nadu for the next seven days. An orange alert, signaling the likelihood of heavy to very heavy rainfall, has been issued for specific districts, including Thoothukudi, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, and Pudukkotai. A yellow alert was issued earlier for specific locations in Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Virudhnagar, and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu.
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MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, stated that the recent rainfall in Chennai and neighboring districts as a result of Cyclone Michaung was the worst in forty-seven years. Stalin stated, “We were alerted but did not know that the rainfall would be so heavy. Alerts for rain, heavy rain, rainfall with wind, and heavy rainfall with wind were given, but there was no alert for continuous downpour for a whole day leading to floods”. Further, Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena of the state government convened an urgent meeting with district collectors in order to assess the state of affairs. In a statement, chief minister MK Stalin said that he has assigned senior administrators to the four districts in charge of conducting rescue operations and evacuating civilians via inflatable vessels. Additionally, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were also deployed.
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There was heavy rainfall in Chennai and a few other locations, including Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Thootukudi districts, over the past two weeks. Similar heavy rain is anticipated at one or two places in Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, and Virudhnagar districts over the next week. Additionally, light to moderate rain is forecasted for many parts of south Tamil Nadu and a few areas in north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal. Similar weather conditions are anticipated over the Southwest Arabian Sea and along and off the Somalia coast. Some parts of Tamil Nadu, including Tirunelveli and Tenkasi, experienced heavy rainfall and severe waterlogging on Sunday. Moreover, the IMD has cautioned fishermen against venturing into the sea for the next few days.
According to the Met Department, a cyclonic circulation initially over the Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjacent southwest Bay of Bengal off the south Sri Lankan coast has shifted over the Comorin area and its vicinity. The weather office predicts squally weather with wind speeds of 40-45 kmph, gusting up to 55 kmph, over the Southwest Bay of Bengal along and off Sri Lanka, the south Tamil Nadu coasts, the Gulf of Mannar, and the adjoining Comorin area, along with the south Kerala coast and adjoining Lakshadweep area over the next two days.
Further, a substantial volume of oil purportedly escaped from the refinery of the state-owned Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) in Manali, Chennai, during the flooding triggered by Cyclone Michaung’s torrential rainfall last week. The oil leak, as per the official assessment, is presently distributed across a surface area of 20 square kilometers, and removal efforts are ongoing. The Tamil Nadu government, together with the Indian Coast Guard, is taking the lead in addressing the situation. Families impacted by the spill are being offered compensation, and Oil Spill Dispersants (OSD) have been sprayed over the afflicted area via helicopter sorties.
