February 7, 2016 - INDIA - One person was killed and three others were injured when an
object believed to a meteorite fell on the campus of a private
engineering college near Natrampalli in Vellore district in northern
Tamil Nadu early on Saturday.
According to police sources, a loud blast was heard near a water tank
shortly after midnight on the Bharathidasan Engineering College premises
in K.Bandarappalli village. Kamaraj, a college employee, who had gone
to drink water suffered serious injuries and was declared dead when
taken to the Vaniyambadi Government Hospital.
Three others suffered
minor injuries. Window panes and wind screens of buses parked nearby and
the water tank were broken in the impact of the blast. A crater was
formed at the site of blast.
Though there was suspicion that it was a bomb blast, preliminary
investigation by forensic and bomb experts showed no sign of any
explosive substance at the scene. Pieces of a rare kind of stone were
found and samples taken for analysis by scientists.
"We can rule out the possibility of any terror angle or
sabotage. Not a single ingredient pertaining to any kind of explosive
was found at the site. We suspect it to be a meteorite fall," a top
police official told The Hindu on Saturday. After a similar
blast was reported in a paddy field at Alangayam in the same district on
January 26, a senior Astrophysicist of the National Physical
Laboratory, Ahmedabad, came to the district for a study.
"The scientist was camping nearby and rushed to the college soon after
hearing the news of the blast. We are convinced that it is a meteorite
that fell with high velocity. In the earlier incident, local people
remember having seen an object falling from the sky in the field," the
official said.
A special team of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, led by Deputy
Superintendent of Police Asir Vijay Kumar, inspected the scene and ruled
out the use of grenades. Vellore Superintendent of Police Senthilkumari
also visited the spot. Investigators were trying to check if the
college had any CCTV camera covering the disturbed area. - The Hindu.
January 22, 2016 - INDIA - The Puri Beach in Odisha turned into a graveyard for around 300 Olive
Ridley turtles and a bottlenose dolphin. The marine animals were found
dead here on 20 January.
Although turtle carcasses are usually found near Pantha Niwas on
the beach during winter, the sheer number of the dead animals spooked
locals.
According to news reports, the forest and marine fisheries authorities
have seized two trawlers for carrying out unauthorised fishing - despite
a ban which was put in place due to the nesting season of the turtles.
Collector of Puri, Arabind Agarwal, told the media that a report had been sought from the concerned agencies. He said:
"This is unfortunate that a large number of Olive Ridley turtles died on the beach. It seemed that they were hit by trawlers."
The Beach Protection Council of Odisha (BPCO), a voluntary organisation
working for the protection of the beach has given a memorandum to
Aggarwal demanding strict implementation of the fishing ban between
November and May.
Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sculpture of the
turtles with message "Give us space to live" on Puri beach.
Recently, around 80 whales were washed ashore on the southern
coast at Tiruchendur in Tamil Nadu. At least 40 of the short-finned
pilot whales died despite rescue efforts.
January 14, 2016 - EARTH - The following constitutes the latest reports of unusual and symbolic animal behavior, mass die-offs, beaching and stranding of mammals, and the appearance of rare creatures.
Whale burial on Tweed beach in New South Wales, Australia
The burial of a dead four-metre sperm whale which had beached at
Casuarina Beach on the Tweed Coast last week has caused a stink with
locals who fear its rotting carcass could pose a health risk to beach
users and also attract sharks to the area.
The 3.8-metre whale calf was found by locals alive on the beach on
Monday 4 January, but died soon afterward and two days later it was
buried using heavy machinery in the dunes between two access tracks
south of a tourist resort at Casuarina.
Staff from Seaworld on the Gold Coast and NSW National Parks and
Wildlife Service (NPWS) were called to the site where the whale had
stranded.
An NPWS spokesman said the whale had some minor injuries consistent with stranding as well as some smaller shark bites.
But he said there were no obvious signs of why the whale stranded or died.
'Tissue sample were taken. The carcass was buried in the hind dunes,' the spokesman told Echonetdaily.
But Casuarina resident David Logue says the whale carcass should not
have been buried there but taken to a tip to dispose of, as Gold Coast
City Council does.
Mr Logue said the burial has 'raised the ire of a number of residents
whose families are regular beach users, business owners and members of a
local surf lifesaving club'.
He said the rising tide the other day came within metres of the burial
pit of the carcass, and wave action could expose the decomposing
carcass 'in this tourist and residential area'.
Mr Logue said the burial had occurred at the beginning of the annual
cyclonic-weather season which regularly caused erosion along the beach
there.
He said the carcass's natural decomposition 'will leach oil, blood and
other body fluids through the sand and into the nearby surf where
hundreds of people swim, wade and surf each week'.
'The decomposition of the carcass can leach upwards absorbing the sand
layer to create a jelly‐like putrefying pit of flesh, producing an awful
stench which will in turn attract vermin,' he told Echonetdaily.
'I am advised that this occurred on the Gold Coast some years ago. I
also note signs erected in this location warning of the recent
harassment of people by wild dogs.
'Naturally I, along with other residents that I have spoken with are
gravely concerned that the above actions will attract sharks to the
stretch of beach and will continue to do so as the carcass decomposes,
leaching through the sand and into the sea in a drip‐fed manner over an
extended period of time.
'Although this may have been an adopted practice in the past, we
consider it to now be inappropriate due to the unacceptable risk it
poses to the safety of beach users.
'These risks extend to the broader Tweed economy as it coincides with
the well‐reported high volume of shark attacks and shark activity within
the northern rivers region.
'Moreover, this stretch of beach between Cabarita and Kingscliff is no
longer the scarcely populated area it used to be. As you would be aware,
development and population along this stretch has considerably
increased over the last 15 years with a further spike in the last two
years.
'It continues to intensify with current high volumes of construction
activity and the anticipated approval of the final "central" stage of
the Casuarina Beach development, adjacent to the shopping centre. This
stage is also adjacent to the burial pit of the whale carcass,' he said.
Mr Logue said he'd been told that to remove such risks, Gold Coast City
Council 'removes all whale carcasses from the beach and disposes of them
in the council tip'.
'However, I am also advised that whale carcasses in Ballina shire are
buried on the beach in the same manner as this one. The shark-attack
statistics and subsequent media coverage between these two LGAs over the
last several years is stark.
'Accordingly, to remove the risks posed through the attraction of sharks
to the area by whale carcasses I propose that all whale carcasses or
other carcasses of significant mass are removed from the beach and
disposed of at a council tip.'
Mr Logue has asked Tweed shire deputy mayor Gary Bagnall to lobby for
such a policy and to 'arrange for the removal and disposal of this whale
carcass and any residue in the pit from its present position on
Casuarina Beach to a council tip as a matter of urgency'.
Cr Bagnall said he would ask fellow councillors at this month's meeting
that 'we develop a policy to cover the beaching of sea animals and large
kills of fish 'so we have clear direction how to respond to these types
of incidents in the future'.
He said locals had expressed concern over the burial site and he had
'asked the council to investigate the appropriateness of the site'.
'I believe that the Gold Coast council removes dead animals from their beaches because of the population there.
'It would be appreciated if incidents, such as this, could reported to
our council in future. Our council now has to deal with the concerns of
the community and the council was left in the dark'. - The Byron Shire Echo.
The phenomenon of whales being washed ashore at Manapad in Thoothukudi
continues as 11 more whales die on Wednesday. The count could increase
according to the local fishermen.
Till Tuesday evening the death count remained at 45and on
Wednesday morning five more dead whales were washed ashore. As the day
progressed the number of whales being washed ashore increased to 11.
Seeing the alarming increase of deaths officials rushed to the spot and
sought help of more fishermen into the rescue service as they fear that
the death count might increase.
The process of burial of the whales continues at the Manapad beach.
Meanwhile, Marine life experts who are camped there have started the
collecting genetic samples.
Murugan, Head of Marine Ecology and Conservation Department, VOC
College, claimed that research scholars were sent to Manapad on Tuesday
to assess the situation and the process of tissue collection would
begin on Wednesday. Using the collected tissues the genetic samples can
be subjected for genetic testing.
Through the tests their location can be found and based on the injuries the reason for washing ashore can be determined.
When asked about the preliminary inquiry he claimed that seeing the
nature of the injuries it can be said that one of the whales which preys
on squids would have been caught in a coral reef in the Gulf of Mannar
and would have sent the distress signal.
The pilot whale would have followed the signal and the other whales would have followed the pilot.
When asked about the time period for genetic analysis he replied that
the tests would take at least one month and conclusive result could be
obtained only after a week. - The New Indian Express.
5 sperm whales die on Texel beach, Netherlands
On Wednesday, five sperm whales died on a Dutch beach after they were
brought to the shore. On Tuesday afternoon, the whales that were between
25 and 40 feet long, were discovered on the Texel beach and the animal
rescuers have been announced.
The sperm whale is also called cachalot is the largest whale with teeth
and the largest predator with teeth. The mature whales can reach up to
52 feet and some can even reach 67 feet. This species of whale has a
head that is one third of its length, and it mainly eats squid. Cuvier's
beaked whale is the mammal that can dive the deepest, followed closely
by the sperm whale. The sperm whales communicate through clicking
vocalization with each other. They have the largest brain on the Planet
and can live more than 60 years.
People from Ecomare and Rijkswaterstaat hurried to the beach in order to
try and save the stranded whales. Ecomare is a wildlife center and a
museum, while Rijkswaterstaat is a research center. The researchers
believed that the high water that came around 8 p.m. would help the
whales swim back into the sea, but unfortunately that didn't occur.
Because of the darkness and the strong wind that blew that night, the
rescue team gave up at midnight and on Wednesday morning the five sperm
whales were found dead.
WATCH: 5 sperm whales die on Texel beach.
On Tuesday, the beach was closed and has remained closed ever since. The
biggest issue is that the dead whales could endanger the health of the
locals, as a gas could be formed by them. It remains unclear why the whales came so close to the shore.The island on which they were found is 60 miles north of Amsterdam and is one of the islands found on the Dutch coast.
The dead bodies of the sperm whales will be taken into custody by
researchers from the University of Utrecht. They will analyze the whales
and they will determine which exactly was the cause of their death. It
is speculated that their skeletons will be taken by Naturalis.
As the five sperm whales died on a Dutch beach, it is important to know
that this is not the first time that this happens on Dutch soil. In
2012, a humpback whale that was 40 feet long got stuck on a sandbank,
close to Texel and died even though efforts were made in order to save
it. - Lighthouse News Daily.
Update: 2 more sperm whales found dead on Dutch beach
Two more sperm whales became stranded and died on the Dutch coast a day
after five others, likely from the same pod, lost their lives nearby in a
rare North Sea beaching, experts said Thursday.
"They are two males," said Jan Boon from the Royal Netherlands Institute
for Sea Research (NIOZ), which is based on the northern Dutch island of
Texel where the whales washed up.
One was found near the Texel port in front of NIOZ's buildings in the
village of 't Hoorntje, while the other became stranded further to the
north.
"The one I've seen here in the south has unfortunately been dead already for some time," Boon told AFP.
"There's blood, it's mouth is open," he said.
The two whales and the five others that died on Wednesday after
floundering ashore late Tuesday are "probably from the same pod of six
whales" that came ashore in Germany earlier this week.
Sperm whale beachings in the Netherlands are relatively rare
with one incident annually between 2011 and 2014, while four whales
beached in 2004 and five in 1997.
"A group like this is even rarer," said Boon, adding the North Sea is too shallow for the large, deep-diving animals.
The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales, and the largest
toothed predator. It can measure up to 20 metres (67 feet) long and
weigh over 50 tonnes.
- Expatica.
Cuttlefish mass die-off on island near Chile
Thousands of cuttlefish mysteriously washed up on Santa Maria off Coronel, Chile on January 12, 2016.
The cause of the mass die-off remains unexplained.
Scientists have started insvestigating the possible causes for this mysterious and apocalyptical mass die-off.
First images of this mass kill were widespread by Mayor Leonidas Romeros on Twitter.
Toxicological tests are now underway.
Masiva varazón de jibia se registra a esta hora en la Isla Santa MarÃa, informan habitantes de la zona. @sernapesca pic.twitter.com/Gtph1StM12
— Alejandro Navarro (@senadornavarro) January 12, 2016
WATCH: Cuttlefish mass die-off.
While it may be natural, this cuttlefish mass die-off may also result from water contamination.
Indian wildlife officials measure one among the
dozens of whales that have washed ashore on the Bay of Bengal coast's
Manapad beach in Tuticorin district, Tamil Nadu state, India on Tuesday,
Jan.12, 2016.
January 12, 2016 - TAMIL NADU, INDIA - At least 45 small whales (short-finned pilot whales), part of the lot
which washed ashore in Tiruchendur in Tamil Nadu on Monday evening, have
died.More than 100 whales were found on the 16km stretch from Alanthalai to Kallamozhi coastal hamlets on Tuesday morning. Thirty six of them have been rescued by fishermen.
"The whales started reaching the shore in groups around 5pm. It
is very strange. In 1973 when we were boys, we witnessed same
phenomenon. However, not these many washed ashore then," said Rajan, a
fishermen in Manapad.
Ditto Mascarenhas of Kulasekarapattinam said if local fishermen had not
kept a vigil, many more whales would have died. The fishermen remained
awake the whole night to keep the whales in water by pulling them back
to the sea.
Tuticorin district collector M Ravikumar inspected the coast. He said
officials were investigating the reason for such a huge number of whales
reaching the shore.
Over100 whales were found on the 16km stretch from Alanthalai to Kallamozhi coastal hamlets on Tuesday morning.
The short-finned pilot whales were first spotted ashore on Monday evening. Officials have asked local marine experts
for help in returning the whales to the ocean as soon as possible.
Short-finned pilot whales,
one of the largest species in the dolphin family after killer whales,
are frequently involved in mass strandings
on beaches, though experts
don’t know why, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
A team from the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in Ramanathapuram has rushed to the spot.
A Possible Reason
Former director of Zoological Survey of India K Venkataraman said
cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are social marine mammals.
They live in groups and if the leader of the group is disturbed due to
changes in underwater, they get disoriented immediately. They start
drifting from their normal path and head towards the shoreline, leading
to their deaths.
Moderate earthquakes, geo-magnetic deviations, sonic waves and tidal currentscould disorient cetaceans.
On Monday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter
scale and another one measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale were in the
Philippines and Indonesia, respectively. These could have disoriented
the whales.
In India, the first ever report of mass stranding of this whale species
was reported in Salt Lake in Kolkata in 1852. The maximum number of
whale stranding on Indian coastline happened in 1973 during which time
147 whales got stranded, Venkataraman said.
WATCH: Dozens of beached whales die as hundreds wash up in India.
Annually world over 2,000 whales get stranded. More than 1,500 whales
have been stranded along the Indian coastline since 1800 till 2015.
So far no study on this issue has been taken up in the country, lament
researchers. One of the reasons is that not many funding agencies are
ready to finance the study.
Study on population dynamics of cetaceans, their breeding ecology,
habitat degradation and other related issues needed to be taken up by
the government. Only such an effort would help in protecting these
endangered marine mammals. - Times of India.
Residents carry children through floodwaters in Chennai. Photograph: STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images
December 4, 2015 - CHENNAI, INDIA - Overflowing rivers and lakes pose added threats to India’s fourth
largest city as the number of troops deployed in rescue effort is
doubled to 4,000.
Thousands of people were trying to escape flooding in the Indian city of Chennai on Friday amid fears that further heavy rain will cause more destruction.
After a lull from the heaviest rains in a century that have killed at least 280 people this week, another rain burst was forecast to hit the low-lying coastal city within hours. But officials said brimming lakes were the main concern.
“The rain is not a problem now, it is the overflowing river and 30 lakes that continue to flood four districts,” a senior home ministry official in New Delhi told Reuters.
V Raghunathan, 60, a manager at an interior design company living in the south of the booming industrial and port city, complained about the lack of warning before floodgates were opened.
“The authorities didn’t give us adequate information about water being released from a nearby lake. Before we could take action. My car has sunk and I had to move to the first floor of my apartment.”
Military helicopters dropped food to residents stranded on rooftops in India’s fourth-largest city, previously known as Madras. On Friday, the defence ministry doubled to 4,000 the number of soldiers deployed to help the rescue effort.
Indian residents and motorists gather on a flyover as others wade through floodwaters in Chennai. Photograph: STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images
Volunteers help to rescue affected people on a country boat in Chennai. Photograph: AP
Reports say there has been no rain in Chennai on
Friday morning and water levels are receding in some parts of the city. AP
More than 7,000 people have been rescued so far by the army and the National Disaster Response force. AP
Troops have set up 25 shelters and community kitchens for the flood victim. AP
The federal weather office has predicted two more days of torrential rain. AP
A total of 269 people are now known to have died in floods in Tamil Nadu state since last month. AP
"There are people who haven't eaten for days. They
have seen their possessions float away from the house," said an
eyewitness. AP
A depression in the Bay of Bengal has triggered rains in coastal areas. AP
But help was slow to reach many in the city of six million, known for its car industry and IT outsourcing, with some families seeking safety on flyovers. Waters were not receding in some of the hardest-hit areas. Drinking water and fuel were in short supply, officials said.
Rescue teams urged people to leave inundated regions, while only roofs in some villages remained visible. Where water had receded, masses of black mud and garbage piled up.
“We are sending technical experts and engineers who will find a solution to flush out all the flood water. It has to be drained out soon, but we don’t know how,” said the home ministry official, who was not authorised to speak on the record and asked not to be named.
Without electricity and living with foul water lapping in their ground floor house for three days, police constable P Krishnaraj loaded his wife and two teenage daughters in a cycle cart and walked behind in knee-deep water.
He was going to move in with a colleague whose home was dry.
The number of people on the Basion Bridge flyover was rising steadily, many of them slum-dwellers whose homes had been washed away. They sat in the open, some carrying little bundles of their prized possessions, soiled rupee notes and identity cards.A small pick-up van arrived at the top of the flyover bearing water packets and biscuits and was immediately overrun by people desperate for relief.
Rajarwadi, who sold vegetables by the roadside, said she had managed to grab a packet of biscuits for her daughter. Now her plan was to move further away to catch the next volunteer food drop.
She had not seen government officials come to offer help to people camped out on the busy flyover on Thursday even though it was in the middle of the city.
Jose Sebastian, the head of a local construction company, said the biggest worry for his volunteer group was areas where the water level was too high for them to deliver food.
“We feel rather helpless,” he said. “We have lots of food, we have volunteers ready to go, but we don’t have the boats.” - The Guardian.
December 2, 2015 - CHENNAI, INDIA - Thousands of people have been evacuated and a rescue operation
is under way in Southern India, which has been severely flooded after
several days of non-stop torrential rains, which prompted the closure of
schools and factories and flight cancelations.
The city of Chennai, capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, has been almost cut off from the outside world. According to local media, the rains have set a 100-year-old record in the city, which is home to about 6 million people."Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds may make the situation worse in Chennai," the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said, adding that the rains may continue for at least four days.
Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes. The authorities have already canceled all flights and the trains have also stopped running, due to water on the tracks. Chennai International Airport, the fourth busiest in India, will remain shuttered until Thursday, Indian media reported.The Indian Army, Navy and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the worst affected areas of the city.
"We have started the rescue operation but the biggest challenge is to find a way to clear the inundated airport and main roads," Anurag Gupta, a senior official at the National Disaster Management Authority in New Delhi said, as cited by Reuters.
Photos and videos of people floating in boats along streets that have turned into rivers have literally flooded social media, with residents helping each other and even rescuing pets. Hundreds of people in less-affected areas have opened their homes for those in need.
According to the local authorities, over 1 million people have been affected by the natural disaster.
"The police want to help but there are no boats. We are trying not to panic," Ramana Goda, a local resident in an affected area, told Reuters.
Heavy rains in southern India since the end of November have killed at least 188 people, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa said.
"It was saddening to witness devastation and deaths during the festive season, but I have faith in the strength of Tamil Nadu," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday. - RT.
November 27, 2015 - CHENNAI, INDIA - Chennai is on its way to have the wettest November of the century and break an all-time rainfall record.
With Monday's torrential downpour bringing 93 mm of rainfall, Chennai
has crossed 1,025 mm of rainfall for the month. According to the
Meteorological Department, November 1918 was the wettest month as the
city received 1088.4 mm of rainfall then.
The weather station in Meenambakkam has already recorded 1144.8 mm this
November. Officials recall that Chennai recorded 970 mm of rainfall in
November 1985 and 1077.1 mm in October 2005. The remaining few days of
this month will decide whether the city gets to break the century's
record.
WATCH: Scenes from Chennai floods.
The rains so far have been severe with many rain-related deaths,
including the electrocution of a couple in Velachery, death of a
youngster in a wall collapse in Pattalam and the fatal fall of a man in a
trench dug up in R.A. Puram to drain stagnant rainwater. Schools and
colleges in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts will remain
closed on Wednesday. As reservoirs continue to get heavy inflows, city
waterways are carrying rainwater to their brim. The Adyar River is in a
spate as about 6,000 cusecs is being let out from the Chembarambakkam
reservoir.
Central team visit
In a bid to provide flood relief assistance, a nine-member Central team
will visit flood-affected areas in Tamil Nadu on November 26 to assess
the damage.
At present, a new trough lies over southwest Bay of Bengal and the
adjoining Sri Lanka coast. With another upper air circulation forming
near the weather system, the Meteorological Department expects it to
influence the formation of a low pressure area by November 26 or
November 27. - The Hindu.
Most of the main streets are waterlogged, bringing the city to a standstill. Getty Images
November 17, 2015 - INDIA/SRI LANKA - More than 70 people have been killed as incessant rains continue to batter the southern Indian city of Chennai, media reports say.
Most of the main streets are waterlogged, bringing the city to a standstill.
Many offices, schools and colleges have been shut due to rains in the past week.
The rains have also affected at least 80,000 people in northern parts of neighbouring Sri Lanka.
A depression formed in the Bay of Bengal has triggered rains in coastal areas of India's Tamil Nadu state and Sri Lanka.
Government officials said around 10,000 people had been evacuated from their homes in Chennai, the Reuters news agency said.
Public transport services have also faced disruptions. AFP
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalitha, has announced a 5bn-rupee ($75m; £49m) relief fund for flood-affected areas. Reuters
"The rain that was meant to be spread out over the monsoon months has poured in just a few days." AP
Government officials said around 10,000 people had been evacuated from their homes. AP
Some subways have also been waterlogged. AP
And some just decided to swim through a flooded subway. AP
The National Disaster Response Force and the army are also helping in ongoing rescue work.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalitha, has announced a 5bn-rupee ($75m; £49m) relief fund for flood-affected areas.
"The rain that was meant to be spread out over the monsoon months has poured in just a few days," she said.
"No precautionary measures would have managed to prevent water logging and damages. In areas where flooding and damage have been caused, relief, rescue and repair works are being taken up on a war footing," she added.
Images from Chennai show the difficulties people have been facing to access essential services. -BBC.
November 16, 2015 - TAMIL NADU, INDIA - Tamil Nadu continued to experience monsoon fury on Sunday, with heavy
rains pounding various parts of the state under the influence of a well
marked low pressure area over Bay of Bengal, as the death toll from
rain-related incidents climbed to over 60.
There seemed to be no respite from the downpour with many parts of the
city coming under water even as the weatherman forecast more rains for
the next 24 hours, beginning 08:30 am.
The India Meteorological Department said in a bulletin on Sunday that
the well-marked low pressure area over southwest Bay of Bengal adjoining
Sri Lanka persisted and "it is likely to move west-northwestwards
towards Tamil Nadu coast and would concentrate into a Depression during
next 24 hours."
Under its influence, more rains were expected in the next 24 hours, the Regional Meteorological Department said.
Anaikaracharthiram (Nagapattinam) received the maximum rainfall of 18 cm
recorded till 8:30 am, RMC Director SR Ramanan said, adding, Sirkali
from the same district registered 17 cm. Chennai received three cm
rainfall between 8:30 am and 11:30 am on Sunday.
He said heavy to very heavy rains could be expected in the northern
coastal districts of the state in the next 24 hours while there could be
rain in the rest of the districts.
Rains were also expected in Puducherry on Monday.
The seas would be rough, he said, warning fishermen against venturing for fishing.
Meanwhile, four persons died due to various rain-related incidents on 13 and 14 November, the government said.
WATCH: Devastating floods hit Tamil Nadu.
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa condoled the death of the four persons,
three of whom died due to drowning in Kancheepuram district while one
person in Vellore was killed in wall collapse. She announced a sum of Rs
4 lakh each to the families of the victims from the Disaster Relief
Fund.
The incessant rains severely crippled normal life in the state capital
Chennai, where most roads, residential areas and low-lying parts were
inundated.
Subways at suburban Chennai connecting the residential areas were inundated, rendering them useless for commutation.
The sparse Sunday crowd of motorists were seen discussing alternative routes to reach their respective destinations.
Water-clogged roads resulted in slow movement of vehicles even as
pedestrians were seen wading through waist-deep to knee-deep water in
many places. Many residents were forced to stay put inside their homes
following the inclement weather. Trains on the suburban Chennai
Egmore-Tambaram were running slow.
The inclement weather also affected flight services. A Colombo-Chennai
Sri Lankan flight was diverted back to that city while a city-bound
IndiGo aircraft from Delhi was diverted to Bengaluru, airport officials
said. A Silk Air flight from Singapore to Chennai was also diverted to
Bengaluru, they said, adding that many services were delayed by between
30-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, the government announced closure of schools and colleges in
Chennai on Monday. Educational institutions in several coastal districts
including Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Tiruchirappalli, and Vellore in
northern part of the states would remain closed on Monday in view of the
rains, officials said.
In Coimbatore, BJP's state unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan said
the party would submit a detailed report on the situation in the
rain-battered Cuddalore district to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
BJP national general secretary Muralidhar Rao, who is in-charge of party
affairs in Tamil Nadu, would soon submit the report on the situation in
Cuddalore, which bore the brunt of the monsoon fury so far, she told
reporters in Chennai.
Replying to a question why Modi, who had announced Rs 1,000 crore to
rain-affected Jammu and Kashmir, was "silent" on the plight of the
state, she said that he had already expressed his deep regrets about the
devastation on social media.
Moreover, it was the duty of the state government to send a report to
the Centre, highlighting the problems, so that it can announce suitable
funds, she said.
She also said Cuddalore should be declared as natural disaster-prone
district and relief measures should be taken on a war footing in both
Cuddalore and Chennai, which has also been affected by the incessant
rains.
Lack of proper infrastructure in Chennai was the major reason for the
"pathetic situation", she alleged referring to waterlogging in several
areas.
As many as 135 residents of Danushkodi, about 20 km from Rameswaram,
were rescued by Police and Fire and Rescue Service personnel after they
were surrounded by rain and sea water.
Most parts of Dhanushkodi was inundated, a report from Rameswaram quoting police said.
Earlier, Sports and Youth Affairs Minister S Sunararaj chaired a meeting
in Rameswaram to discuss flood relief measures and asked officials to
be on high alert. - Firstpost.
November 13, 2015 - TAMIL NADU, INDIA - Schools and colleges in Chennai will remain shut on Friday as the MeT has predicted heavy rainfall. The flood situation has already claimed the lives of 48 people in Tamil Nadu.
The MeT office forecast another spell of heavy showers in the next week, following the formation of a new low-pressure trough. The maximum number of deaths have been reported from Cuddalore.
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa offered her condolences to the families of
the victims who perished in flood waters and announced a sum of Rs 4
lakh to the berieved families as assistance from the Disaster Relief
Fund.
"A new trough of low pressure has formed in South Andaman Sea.
It is expected to develop into a low pressure in South Eastern Bay of
Bengal on 14 November," Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Chennai Director S R Ramanan told reporters.
WATCH: Texas police chase down escaped buffalo.
Several parts of the state, including Chennai, are limping back to
normalcy after being battered by heavy rains. A low pressure trough that
intensified into a deep depression and crossed the state coast on 9
November. Cuddalore district has been the worst hit.
Jayalalithaa held a review meeting with officials to assess the
situation in Cuddalore where relief and rehabilitation measures had
begun in full swing.
Meanwhile, several parts of Chennai and its suburbs, including the
commercial hub of Velachery, received rains overnight, inundating
low-lying areas further damaging roads. - The Quint.
The pilgrims had been advised to not go to the hills following the rains, but they didnt listen, said a senior police officer.
May 20, 2015 - INDIA - Six pilgrims were killed in flash floods on the Sathuragiri Hills in Tamil Nadu yesterday.
Heavy rains yesterday afternoon, triggered the floods on the hills,
which are a part of the Western Ghats, where more than 2,000 pilgrims
had gathered since Saturday night to worship at the Sundara Mahalingam
Temple, on the occasion of no-moon day.
Police, forest, and fire and rescue teams from Virudhanagar district
have so far recovered the bodies of six men.
"Two more people including a
16-year-old girl are missing. Our search is on. Most of the devotees
have left the hills. The rains have stopped," said a senior police
official.
The pilgrims had been advised by the district administration to not go
to the hills following the rains, but they didn't listen, said a senior
police officer. - NDTV.
April 16, 2013 - INDIA - Recent news confirmed that a young-adult Olive Ridley turtle has been sent back to the place she belonged to on Sunday. It has been stated that a rehabilitation centre of TREE Foundation in Neelangarai had been taking care of the turtle, which was rescued by two nature lovers in the month of January.
It has been claimed that the turtle, named Yuvath, has gained three kg of weight during the course of treatment for nearly two-and-half months. The turtle was carried in a huge drum from the TREE Foundation Rescue and Rehabilitation facility at Blue Beach Road, Neelankarai to the sea.
Though she looked a little confused as to where she is being taken to, she smoothly adapted herself in some time in the sea after being released.
"When a turtle gets entangled in a net, the fisherman chops off the flipper to disentangle his net .The government should do more to protect these creatures", said Dharini., while taking about how sea turtles combat such threats from humans.
It is noted that in the early 1970, over 100 nests were recorded per km of shoreline, though they have been trim down to 10 or 11 nests per km. if records are to be referred, as many as 400 dead turtles washed ashore this year along the coast of Tamil Nadu. - Newspoint.
January 08, 2013 - INDIA - A man sustained fractures while standing crops of watermelon were damaged as a herd of elephants went on a rampage on the outskirts of Kamasumudra village near here on Wednesday.
A herd of 32 jumbos from the Tamil Nadu forests is wrecking havoc by destroying crops in the nearby fields. The elephants are moving in two groups – one comprising 14 jumbos which have camped near Kamasamudra and another with 18 elephants is roaming at the Yaragol dam project site. The jumbos have entered Karnataka from Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu and are moving on the natural elephant corridor.
Availability of water and fodder all along the way is said to be facilitating their onward journey. The elephants which stray on this route usually return to V Kote via Kuppam. A calf is also part of the herd. Ansar, a resident of Bheemanaganahalli suffered fracture of chest bones after an elephant threw him with its trunk. He was admitted to RL Jalappa Hospital in Kolar. Officials from the Forest department visited forest areas in Yaragol. However, they have decided to wait for some time to gauge the further movement of the jumbos. – Deccan Herald.
A 39-year-old software engineer was killed by a herd of elephants at the Nilgiri grove at Mantapa village near Bannerghatta in the taluk on Saturday afternoon. The elephants attacked Soorappa Ramesh, an employee of IBMâ€Ë†and a native of Jambur village of Bhadravati taluk, when the engineer - an amateur wildlife photographer - came to the grove and tried to click pictures of the herd which had gone on a rampage in the grove. He was residing in Bangalore along with his wife Yashodha.
Ramesh, who collapsed on the spot, was provided water to drink by the onlookers. When he was taken to the hospital, doctors said he had died due to heart attack, according to the Bannerghatta police. Hundreds of people from nearby villages had gathered at the grove after coming to know that the jumbos were camping there. There was chaos all around and the elephants, in a bid to protect their calves, started attacking anyone coming in their way. Earlier, a herd of 15 wild elephants entered the Nilgiri grove of Prakash of Mantapa village in the wee hours of Saturday. The herd comprised three calves and two tuskers. It had entered the fields in Mantapa, Lakshmipura, Vajarahalli and Jangalapalya villages from the forest in search of food on Friday night. The herd came to the grove at daybreak on its way back to the forest. Three of the elephants separated from the herd and headed to the forest at 1.30, before the incident in which Ramesh was killed. Meanwhile, an irate mob tried to attack forest department staff, following the incident. They damaged two vehicles belonging to the department. The forest department managed to chase the elephants back into the forest by 4.30 pm, with help from the public. Vehicular movement was affected on the Bannerghatta-Anekal road when the jumbos were crossing the road. – Deccan Herald.
WATCH: Elephant goes on rampage in Indian village.
November 7, 2012 - NEW DELHI, INDIA - Flooding in southern India in the wake of a tropical cyclone has killed 25 people in the past few days and driven tens of thousands of others from their homes, authorities said Tuesday.
Indian residents wade through flood waters in Visakhapatnam in the coastal district of
Andhra Pradesh on November 5, 2012.
The severe weather has caused flooding affecting 5,250 square kilometers (2,000 square miles) of agricultural land in the state of Andhra Pradesh, according to Vinod Kumar, an official at the state's disaster management department. Cyclone Nilam roared into India's southeastern coast last week, killing at least 15 people in the state of Tamil Nadu and running a large oil tanker aground on the shore near Chennai. The storm had already been drenching coastal areas with rain as it loitered over the sea north of Sri Lanka before it made landfall. It brought more than a month's rainfall in just a few of days, according to CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. The "high impact, long duration" nature of the downpours "overwhelmed the rivers and streams" and led to the disastrous flooding, Cabrera said. About 70,000 people in Andhra Pradesh, which is north of Tamil Nadu, have been relocated to temporary shelters, Kumar said Tuesday. The flooding has killed 25 people in the state, he said. The full extent of the damage to crops won't be known until after the flood waters recede, according to authorities. Tropical cyclones tend to occur in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea during the April-to-June and September-to-November periods. A violent tropical storm killed at least 23 people in southeastern Bangladesh last month. And a powerful cyclone that hit India and Bangladesh in May 2009 killed at least 180 people. - CNN.
It could take "years" for hundreds of thousands of people in southeastern India to rebuild their livelihoods after a devastating cyclone wiped out their entire plantations of cash crops last month, aid workers warned on Tuesday.
Cyclone Thane killed 51 people when it struck the Indian state of Tamil Nadu around dawn on December 30. The storm disrupted the lives of more than one million people, flattening homes, destroying crops and causing power outages for days. With wind speeds of up to 135 kmph (83 mph) and tidal surges reaching 1.5 metres (5 feet), the cyclone forced coastal fishing and farming communities into relief shelters. But as work gets underway to repair damaged homes, aid workers say there are longer-term concerns over how farming communities, in particular, will survive. "While some rice paddy has been lost, that is not such a problem as that can be re-planted the next season," Joseph Sahayam, from the Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), said by phone from Chennai, Tamil Nadu's state capital.
"The issue is the slow-growing crops like coconut trees, jackfruit and cashews - these take many years to grow so farmers will need some kind of support to help them generate an income to keep them going until then." Thane moved in from the Bay of Bengal making landfall around dawn that day, primarily lashing the coastal district of Cuddalore and the former French colonial town of Pondicherry. Gale winds brought down telephone and power lines and uprooted trees and benches along Pondicherry's tree-lined boulevards and promenade, while tidal waves smashed into low-lying mud-and-thatch villages along the coast.
According to recent assessments, more than 300,000 homes have been damaged, hundreds of livestock killed and rural roads damaged. The government is providing compensation to cyclone-hit communities, but local communities say it is not enough. Aid workers say alternative livelihood projects will need to be put in place, which would be able to give quick returns. Cash-for-work programmes such as the Indian government's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) - which guarantees 100 days of work at a fixed rate for unskilled labourers - is a likely solution. "Most of these communities were already living below the poverty line," said Stephen Ryan, communication delegate for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in India. "The challenges faced in these affected districts have only been exasperated by this disaster and a long-term solution will need to be found that will go beyond the assistance and work of humanitarian organisations." - Reuters.
Tropical Cyclone Thane left 46 people dead as it moved over southern India yesterday.
A day after Cyclone Thane crossed the Tamil Nadu coast, leaving 46 people dead in south India, life was limping back to normal yesterday in the worst affected Cuddalore district. However, people had to usher in the New Year in darkness. At least 46 people have died in the south — 35 in Tamil Nadu, four in Kerala and seven in Puducherry — due to electrocution, falling of trees and collapsing roofs or walls. "Major roads are being cleared of uprooted trees and traffic is being resumed. People are returning to their homes or going to the homes of their relatives from relief camps. Life is coming back to normal," Cuddalore Deputy Superintendent of Police S. Vanitha said. Several trees, street lampposts and electric poles were uprooted on Friday at Cuddalore by the cyclone that packed a wind speed of 140km/h when it crossed the coast. "There is no power in the district which in turn is making supply of water at homes a problem. We are not able to draw water from the wells though supply of milk was there this [Saturday] morning," a housewife in Cuddalore said.
J. Kannan, another Cuddalore resident, said: "For bachelors like me, life is difficult as hotels have not opened and shopkeepers are charging astronomical prices even for biscuit packets. A litre of milk is sold at Rs50 (Dh 3.36) — more than double the rates charged normally. A candle costing Rs2 is now sold at Rs10. There is no power in the district and the shopkeepers are making hay while the sun shines," he said. Officials said it would take at least two days to restore power supply in the district as most of the electric poles have been uprooted by the wind. Banking operations in the district have also been affected in the absence of power. "ATMs [Automatic Teller Machines] do not work. Further, as it is the month-end, people will be in need of money," an official of a public sector bank told IANS. "Glass panes were shattered and DTH [direct-to-home] antennas were blown away by the wind. Strong winds blew away tiled and thatched roofs of houses,' he added. Most people said the wind intensity was so terrifying that nobody was able to step out Friday morning. In Tamil Nadu, the coastal Cuddalore district reported 21 deaths while other deaths were from Villupuram (2), Tiruvallur (2) and Chennai (1). Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha on Friday ordered release of Rs1.50 billion towards relief and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure in the state. - Gulf News.
Lashing rains and gale force winds are bearing down on India's southeastern coast, disrupting power supplies and communication lines as Cyclone Thane makes landfall near the industrial city of Chennai, officials said. Packing wind speeds of up to 125kph, and accompanied by tidal surges of up to 1.5m, Thane hit Tamil Nadu state on Friday, killing at least eleven people and causing coastal villagers to move to relief shelters. "Under the influence of this system, rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places and isolated extremely heavy falls would occur," the Indian Meteorological Department said. "Gale wind speed reaching 120kph to 130kph gusting to 145kmph is likely along and off north Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry coasts during next three hours and then decrease gradually." Witnesses in Chennai and Pondicherry said trees had been toppled, there had been power outages throughout the night and disruption to phone and internet services in some areas. Hundreds of people from fishing communities along north Tamil Nadu's coast, and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh state, have moved to schools set up as relief centres until the weather system passes. "Making relief efforts diffuclt, roads are blocked because of heavy rainfall, trains were canceled and international flights also canceled," Al Jazeera's Prerna Suri said. "They had about 24 hours to prepare, unlike with other storms. So evacuation shelters are in place," our correspondent said. "Eight teams from the disaster management force are deployed from New Delhi, with some 15,000 people put on high alert." India's cyclone season generally lasts from April to December, with severe storms often causing dozens of deaths, evacuations of tens of thousands of people from low-lying villages and widespread crop and property damage. In 1999, a "super-cyclone" battered the coast of the eastern state of Orissa for 30 hours with wind speeds reaching 300kph, killing 10,000 people. - Al Jazeera.
WATCH: Cyclone Thane causes major damage.
WATCH: Tracking Cyclone Thane and a new development near the southern parts of the Philippines.
