Chennai Rains: Are rumour mongers spreading panic among residents?

In Chennai, rumour mongers are spreading "fake news" about rains and floods causing panic among the residents.

Chennai, Nov 3: Chennaites are in a state of panic as heavy rains lashed the city on Thursday. Several areas of the city have been waterlogged as it has been raining since Monday.

However, what is adding to the woes of people are rumour and mischief mongers who are spreading "fake news" about a repeat of the 2015 Tamil Nadu floods which had badly-hit Chennai.

As misinformation is spreading faster than the truth through various mediums, including social media and television news channels, a few good Samaritans have taken upon themselves to dispel the rumours to avoid further panic.

In order to restrict the spread of rumours, many are using Twitter to tell the residents that things are not so bad and there is no need to be nervous.

Tweets below give a sense that "all is well" with Chennai despite mounting troubles.

Chennai witnessed heavy rainfall during early hours of Friday morning, which has currently stopped to the relief of people.

In fact, Chennai recorded a whopping 183 mm of rainfall between 8:30 am on Thursday and 08:30 am on Friday. More rains are predicted in the coming hours, especially during the night hours of Friday.

According to skymetweather.com, "While there has been a break in Chennai rains during morning hours on Friday, these showers will once again make an appearance during the afternoon and evening hours. Thus, during the next 24 hours, heavy rains will occur in Chennai."

Along with Chennai, several coastal areas of the state have been battered by rains since Thursday.

"Rainfall activity will continue over north coastal Tamil Nadu with heavy to very heavy rain over Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chennai districts during the next 24 hours," a special bulletin issued at 8.30 am said on Friday.

Schools and colleges have been closed since Tuesday as a precautionary measure in Chennai and several neighbouring places. On Friday, local administration had asked Information Technology (IT) companies to declare holiday.

OneIndia News