Cyclone Burevi: Heavy rain warning issued for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry; deep depression weakens

CHENNAI: Heavy rains continued to batter Tamil Nadu leading to inundation of crops and waterlogging in many rural and urban areas even as the deep depression over Gulf of Mannar near Ramanathapuram weakened into a depression.

On December 4, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the deep depression over the Gulf of Mannar close to Ramanathapuram district's coast remained practically stationary for 18 hours and then weakened into a depression.

IMD also warned of heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours in isolated areas of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. "Heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places very likely over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during next 24 hours, over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Mahe on December 4-5 and over Lakshadweep on December 5," IMD said.

Meanwhile, IMD director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra while speaking to ANI said, "There has been extremely heavy rainfall over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry under the influence of cyclone Burevi. Very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy rainfall likely to continue over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry today.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into Gulf of Mannar and the adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal and along and off south Tamilnadu, north Sri Lanka and south Kerala coasts and Lakshadweep-Maldives area and the adjoining southeast Arabian Sea during next 24 hours. 

Rescue personnel evacuated people marooned in flooded areas of Cuddalore district and brought them to shelters. Crops like paddy and sugarcane were inundated in districts, including Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and Ariyalur falling under the Cauvery delta zone, as heavy rains continued for the third successive day.

Rainfall was reported from several other regions, including Yercaud in Salem, Sivaganga, Namakkal, Tuticorin, Ranipet and Karur districts as well.

Low-lying residential areas in parts of the metropolis and several other urban and rural areas in districts,including Cuddalore, saw water entering neighbourhoods.

As a precautionary measure, power supply was cut in several districts. Rameswaram, Thangachi Madam, Pambam and Mandapam saw power cuts for the fourth consecutive day.

Rameswaram also faced drinking water shortage as pumps could not be operated in view of power cuts in residential neighbourhoods.
The downpour led to flooding of the inner corridors of the ancient Sri Nataraja temple at Chidambaram and photographs showing the inundation surfaced in the social media.

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