Heavy rains across southern India and Sri Lanka have killed at least 41 people, authorities said on Thursday, with weather forecasters expecting the downpours to ease in the next few days.
The Indian Meteorological Department forecast light to moderate rain in most affected areas, with occasional flooding of some roads and low-lying areas.
Counterparts in neighboring Sri Lanka said rain there was expected to ease from Thursday as the low pressure that brought the bad weather moved away.
“The worst is over and occasional rains will happen,” said Pradeep John, an amateur forecaster who is widely followed in Tamil Nadu, India’s worst-affected state.
“Today rains will be on and off, with large breaks and nothing alarming.”
The rains have killed 25 people in the island nation of Sri Lanka, most of whom drowned, while landslides injured five, officials said.
"Given the prevalence of Covid-19, the government has encouraged over a thousand families to move in with relatives to reduce the strain on government-run centers," said Sudantha Ranasinghe, head of Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre.
From Tamil Nadu, sixteen people were killed, said the state disaster management minister KKSSR Ramachandran. More than 1,300 dwellings have been damaged across the state, the department said.
The state's capital, Chennai, and its surrounding areas have been experiencing power outages, it added. Many parts of the state capital Chennai, which is India’s auto manufacturing center, were waterlogged and government officials used pumps to drain some communities that had been stranded waist-deep. More than 100,000 acres of crops have also been damaged in the region, the department said.
In Sri Lanka, the months of October and November are usually the northeastern monsoon season. However, higher than usual rainfalls have been reported in most parts of the country this year. India’s northeast monsoon usually runs from October to December, bringing heavy rain, particularly to the south.
The Indian Meteorological Department forecast light to moderate rain in most affected areas, with occasional flooding of some roads and low-lying areas.
Counterparts in neighboring Sri Lanka said rain there was expected to ease from Thursday as the low pressure that brought the bad weather moved away.
“The worst is over and occasional rains will happen,” said Pradeep John, an amateur forecaster who is widely followed in Tamil Nadu, India’s worst-affected state.
“Today rains will be on and off, with large breaks and nothing alarming.”
The rains have killed 25 people in the island nation of Sri Lanka, most of whom drowned, while landslides injured five, officials said.
"Given the prevalence of Covid-19, the government has encouraged over a thousand families to move in with relatives to reduce the strain on government-run centers," said Sudantha Ranasinghe, head of Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre.
From Tamil Nadu, sixteen people were killed, said the state disaster management minister KKSSR Ramachandran. More than 1,300 dwellings have been damaged across the state, the department said.
The state's capital, Chennai, and its surrounding areas have been experiencing power outages, it added. Many parts of the state capital Chennai, which is India’s auto manufacturing center, were waterlogged and government officials used pumps to drain some communities that had been stranded waist-deep. More than 100,000 acres of crops have also been damaged in the region, the department said.
In Sri Lanka, the months of October and November are usually the northeastern monsoon season. However, higher than usual rainfalls have been reported in most parts of the country this year. India’s northeast monsoon usually runs from October to December, bringing heavy rain, particularly to the south.
