Normal
life was hit in several parts of Chennai, its suburbs and Tamilnadu
including coastal districts forcing the declaring of a holiday for
schools and colleges. Because of the trough of low pressure that formed
near Sri Lanka and lay extended along the coast from southern Tamilnadu
to Andhra Pradesh.
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Met
officials said that till 8.30 am today, Nungambakkam received 64.6 mm
of rainfall and Meenambakkam 97.6 mm. From 8.30 am to 11.30 am
Nungambakkam received 24.2 mm and Meenambakkam 21.6 mm. Heavy rainfall
is expected for the next 48 hours across Tamilnadu and Chennai. It
would remain cloudy with isolated heavy rainfall and thunder showers and
gusty surface winds.
The city has been experiencing cold weather over the last few nights. The minimum temperature hovered around 22 degrees Celsius. On Friday, the minimum temperature is expected go upto 25 degrees Celsius. With the formation of clouds, the minimum temperature went up to 25 degrees Celsius from the usual of 22 degrees in the last few days. 'During cloudy days, the minimum temperatures usually go up as the clouds block radiation. However, the maximum temperature comes down,' said a Met official. Traffic came to a standstill on arterial roads for over two hours in the morning as rains lashed Chennai and suburbs. Elsewhere in the city, vehicle movement was slow owing to stagnated water. Several low- lying areas on the city outskirts were inundated forcing the people to remain indoors. Already battered roads became worse despite spending over Rs120 crore last year and Rs 110 crore this year. Patch works happening in certain areas came to a halt because of the rain. As per the Corporation standards, each newly paved road has to last for at least three years. 'The roads do not have a water- protective coating. Poor quality raw materials are used to cut cost. The roads should be undulating to direct run-off towards the nearest stormwater drain. None of this is being done and there is absolutely no monitoring. The city deserves better. We should not be made to suffer every monsoon.' said Ramanan a resident of T Nagar. |