NAGAPATTINAM: Heavy to moderate rains poured across delta districts on Tuesday. The downpours were severe in coastal delta districts where the Red Alert was issued by the meteorological department.
The rainfall is heavy in coastal districts like Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Karaikal and moderate in Pudukkottai, Thanjavur and Tiruchy on Tuesday.
Normalcy is affected across the districts due to the downpours. In coastal districts, the district administrations have initiated disaster management response measures.
The Regional Meteorological Center of the Indian Meteorological Department declared a Red Alert for Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Karaikal districts, an Orange Alert for Ariyalur and Thanjavur districts and a Yellow Alert for Perambalur and Tiruchy districts.
A holiday was declared for schools and colleges in Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Karaikal and Tiruvarur districts where the rainfall is heavy.
In Thanjavur, only schools were declared a holiday. The institutes functioned as usual in Ariyalur, Perambalur, Pudukkottai and Tiruchy districts and students went to school.
The farmers are wary of the rains across the delta as farmers have cultivated Samba and Thaladi paddy crops over lakhs of acres. Due to rains, the water release from Kallanai (Grand Anaicut Dam) into the Grand Anaicut Canal was stopped.
The mechanized and motorized boats remained berthed in harbours and fish landing centres in coastal districts for a week. All fishing-related works and activities are currently stopped. IMD and fisheries department have warned the fishers against venturing into the sea.
The sea is rough at the shores across coastal delta districts. In Vedaranyam, the sea receded for a few meters on Tuesday morning. The depression in the southeast Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a deep depression in 24 hours according to IMD.
The potential deep depression is moving northwestwards and is expected to intensify into Cyclone Fengal by this week.
(With inputs from Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Karaikal, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Tiruchy, Pudukkottai, Perambalur and Ariyalur)
