Chennai, Dec 10 (IANS) The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that the low-pressure system over Tamil Nadu is expected to strengthen within the next 24 hours.
The system, formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean near the equator, remains stationary, delaying its intensification into a deep depression.
The IMD has issued a heavy rainfall warning for Tamil Nadu over the next four days. Chennai was likely to experience significant rainfall on Thursday, with a yellow alert in place for the city.
Several districts, including Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Pudukkottai, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram, were expected to witness intense rain spells in the coming days.
Meanwhile, an orange alert has been issued for Chengalpattu, Villupuram, and Cuddalore districts for Thursday.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has also issued a yellow alert for Chennai and neighbouring districts, forecasting heavy rain on December 12.
Fishermen have been advised to avoid venturing into the sea, and those currently in deep waters have been urged to return to the shore immediately.
Strong winds of 35-45 km/h are expected over the southeast Bay of Bengal.
This alert follows the devastation caused by Cyclone Fengal, which struck Tamil Nadu and Puducherry between November 29 and December 1.
The cyclone resulted in widespread destruction, claiming 12 lives and inundating 2,11,139 hectares of agricultural and horticultural land, leading to substantial losses for farmers.
The cyclone caused extensive damage to infrastructure, including 1,649 kilometres of electric conductors, 23,664 electric poles, 997 transformers, 9,576 kilometres of roads, 1,847 culverts, and 417 water tanks.
Numerous houses and huts were also damaged. Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, and Kallakurichi districts recorded over 50 cm of rainfall in a single day - equivalent to an entire season's average resulting in severe flooding and crop damage.
The Tamil Nadu government reported that the cyclone adversely affected 69 lakh families and 1.5 crore individuals.
In response to the disaster, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting Rs 2,000 crore as interim relief from the National Disaster Response Fund.
The state government submitted an initial damage assessment report estimating Rs 2,475 crore for relief and reconstruction efforts. The central government has sanctioned Rs 944 crore as interim relief for the affected regions.