The official death toll due to Cyclone Michaung across Chennai rose to 17 on December 6. Tamil Nadu has appealed to the Centre for an interim relief fund of Rs 5,060 crore, while the intense cyclonic storm made landfall in Andhra Pradesh, ripping through the areas between Nellore and Kavali on the Bapatla coastline.
Powerful waves pounded the southern coasts, and incessant rainfall adversely affected the lives of nearly 390,000 individuals. In view of the challenging conditions, schools and colleges in Chennai have been granted an additional day off on December 7. The situation evoked memories of the 2015 floods in Chennai.
What happened in 2015?
Chennai saw unprecedented flooding as a result of heavy rainfall in the first week of December 2015. More than 200 people lost their lives across the state. The situation was compounded when water was discharged from the Chembarambakkam Lake, leading to the flooding of Chennai.
According to an Indian Express report, on December 1, 2015, consistent rains had filled the reservoir to 3,396 million cubic feet. By evening, engineers released water at 29,400 cusec (1 cusec unit equals 28.317 litres of liquid flow per second). Since this discharge was without public knowledge, it triggered widespread chaos in the city. By midnight of December 2, areas within a 4-km radius of the Adyar river were submerged, noted the report.
A study by Chennai-based Care Earth Trust, as quoted in a Hindustan Times report, stated that the primary reason was Chennai’s long history of vanishing lakes and unfettered urbanisation. The study stated that only 15 percent of the city's wetlands are left.
"There are comparisons now with 2015. In 2015, Nungambakkam got 294mm, Meenambakkam 345mm, Tambaram 494 mm, Chembarbakkam 475mm. Today Nungambakkam got 440mm in 36 hours, Meenambakkam 430 mm in 36 hours and Chembarbakkam 320mm in 36 hours...," said Pradeep John, popularly known as Tamil Nadu weatherman on social media.
Why is the current situation different?
The torrential rains brought by Cyclone Michaung caused the devastation. The severe cyclonic storm is the sixth cyclone to develop in the Indian Ocean this year, and the fourth to form in the Bay of Bengal. The Indian Meteorological Department had earlier predicted that it would form in the southwest Bay of Bengal on December 3.
Also Read: Cyclone Michaung: Origin of its name
S Balachandran, Deputy Director General of Meteorology, IMD, in an interaction with media, said three factors were responsible for the current scenario.
According to him, Michaung's proximity to the coast amplified its impact. “At its closest, it was merely 90 kilometres away, a distance alarmingly closer compared to previous cyclones. Secondly, the system exhibited an unusually stagnant movement. What typically moves at speeds between 10 to 18 kph slowed down to a mere 7 kph, further dropping to an almost standstill pace of 5 kph,” he said.
Nevertheless, he said the most critical factor was “the intensification of the system while it was stationary”. “This intensification, occurring so close to the coast, led to heavy and prolonged downpour. The slow-moving nature of the system resulted in increased wetness, exacerbating the situation,” he said.
Comparing the recent Michaung-triggered floods to those in 2015, Chief Minister MK Stalin said the rains during Cyclone Michaung exceeded those in 2015. “While the 2015 floods were man-made due to the release of water from Chembarambakkam Lake, the current situation is a natural flood. The damage is comparatively less than that of the previous floods,” he said.
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