Cyclone Michaung to make landfall in south India soon; Chennai flooded

MUMBAI (ICIS)–India’s southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and eastern state of Odisha are on high alert as severe cyclonic storm Michaung is expected to make landfall on Tuesday.

“The system is likely to cross south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam close to Bapatla during the next four hours as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100km/hour,” according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in its latest update.

The cyclone is expected to trigger heavy rains in several districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states until 6 December, IMD added.

The Tamil Nadu government has declared a public holiday in four districts including its capital Chennai, on Tuesday.

While the government has not asked companies to stop work, factories have been advised to allow only essential services to function.

Chennai is a major electronics and manufacturing hub in south India.

The micro small and medium enterprises (MSME) industry in Chennai have been severely affected by the rains and floods, industry sources said.

“MSMEs have been affected badly. Industrial estates housing the MSMEs were severely flooded,” said Suresh Krishnamurthy, president of the Hindustan Chamber of Commerce (HCC).

“It is too early to assess losses. There has been severe water-logging in many industrial estates and the entire business is affected,” he added.

Chennai airport resumed services on Tuesday morning after being shut on 4 December due to flooding caused by the heavy rains.

On 4 December, heavy rains triggered by the cyclone flooded Chennai and its neighbouring districts, killing eight people and disrupting road, air and rail traffic, a government official said.

Taiwan’s Foxconn and Pegatron halted Apple iPhone production at their facilities near Chennai due to heavy rains, newswire agency Reuters reported on 4 December.

Several industrial estates in Chennai and neighbouring districts were affected by the cyclone.

Chennai houses many industrial clusters, including the Ambattur industrial estate, Guindy industrial estate, SIDCO industrial estate and Thirumudivakkam industrial estate.

These clusters cater to various industries including automotive, electronics, engineering, chemicals, textiles, pharmaceuticals among others.

Thumbnail image: Commuters pass through a flooded road during heavy rains as Cyclone Michaung is expected to make landfall on the eastern Indian coast, in Chennai, India, 04 December 2023. (By IDREES MOHAMMED/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)