Chennai going to hit by Cyclone Nivar on wednesday

Cyclone Nivar landfall near Puducherry after midnight, evacuation underway

Both the AIADMK and DMK leaders and workers hit the ground in rescue work.

Severe cyclonic storm Nivar will intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm over the next 12 hours and cross the coast between Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Wednesday midnight or early Thursday, the India Meteorological Department said.

It will make its landfall between Karaikal and Mamallapuram around Puducherry by midnight or early hours of tomorrow, said the IMD.

In anticipation, sluice gates of the Chembarambakkam reservoir, one of the key drinking water sources to Chennai, were opened on Wednesday noon to release 1,000 cusecs of water into the Adyar river. Hundreds of people living along the river are being moved to relief camps. Chennai’s arterial roads and neighbourhoods were severely inundated with heavy rains continuing on Wednesday . Commuters waded through knee deep water and water entered several homes in low lying areas.

Chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami extended the public holiday to Thursday in 13 districts, including Chennai, after he inspected the Chembarambakkam reservoir which is about 30 km from Chennai in the adjoining Kancheepuram district. Sudden release of huge quantities of water from Chembarambakkam into the Adyar river had resulted in the deviating floods in 2015 in Chennai and adjoining districts.