The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : High tides cause panic in city

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 21, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

High tides cause panic in city

City Bureau

Water entered houses in Anna Sivagaminagar and nearby hamlets off Ennore Water entered houses in Anna Sivagaminagar and nearby hamlets off Ennore Strong tides were the usual ones that are witnessed during the new moon and full moon days, say weather officials

SEA OF FURY: Powerful tides smash the sea wall along the Ennore Expressway (left). The high tides led to seawater entering Annai Sivagaminagar Colony near Ennore on Saturday morning. — Photos: S.R. Raghunathan

CHENNAI: Unusually high tidal activity saw seawater entering fishing hamlets in north Chennai on Saturday morning, causing panic among residents of the Tiruvottiyur-Ennore belt.

The sea along the Marina in the city was also rough. Water entered more than 50 metres inland. The phenomenon took place at a colony in Anna Sivagaminagar and nearby hamlets off Ennore. As water entered their houses and streets, some of the residents, especially those living very near to the sea off the Ennore Expressway, moved inland.

The residents said there had been high tidal activity for the past two days, especially late on Friday night and early Saturday. The waves came beyond the sea wall created by rocks and groynes along the Ennore-Royapuram coast and entered the hamlets.

This morning at 7 a.m., residents said the sea level rose and, within minutes, sea water entered the colonies with a huge roar, spreading fear among the residents.

Similar tidal activity and flooding were also reported at the Kottivakkam hamlets, local residents said.

There was knee-deep water on more than half the Marina. The tidal activity went on for about half an hour.

Local administration workers in Ennore were seen clearing the sand deposited by the high tidefrom Ennore Expressway. Traffic on the road was affected for some time on Saturday morning.

Weather officials said the strong tides were the usual ones that are witnessed during the new moon and full moon and that it had nothing to do with a tsunami. There was also no unusual activity under the sea surface to indicate any such development, they said.

However, a woman resident of Annai Sivagaminagar near Ennore said the tides over the past two days were much stronger and higher than the ones they are used to during new moon or full moon days.

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