La Nina this year to keep floods at bay

Chennai: After a disastrous El Nino effect that pounded Chennai with heavy rains and floods last December, La Nina, a natural process of cooling sea surface water in the equatorial Pacific has set in, confirmed climatologists.

This means South India, particularly Chennai is relatively safe from floods this year and the monsoon will be less damaging, with deficit in rainfall and the capital city may not see a repeat of 2015 flash floods for the next few months, said professor K. Palanivelu, director, Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation Research, Anna University.

“The year 2015 was an El Nino year and we saw extreme weather conditions during last November and December months. Usually, after an El Nino, La Nina process follows. La Nina, unlike El Nino does not bring any extreme conditions and rains recorded during La Nina are of short durations and rain spells does not lasts long,” he said.

“Last year, we had floods so we drained the surplus and this monsoon it might be a regular rainfall. It’s time to conserve every drop of water. We have to understand climate change. Adaptation and conservation are the only solutions available to us,” Palanivelu said.

The state’s weather conditions are determined by sea temperatures and wind movement, he said adding that the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) (difference in the sea surface temperature between the two equatorial areas of the Indian Ocean) plays a major role in determining the weather and rainfall pattern.

In case of sudden squalls or cyclones they can be predicted just a few days ahead and their intensity can be confirmed only through satellite images, he added. Meanwhile, the revenue department has formed a team of designated officers to interact with climatologists at the regional meteorological centre to get weather updates in advance.

“During this monsoon, the rainfall received in each district and their spells are to be observed at micro levels. Whenever, there is an alert of rainfall exceeding 5 cm limit per day, the area will under state flood mitigation network and the weather updates for such area will be documented,” said an official attached to state disaster management authority.