The annual monsoon season in Chennai is from mid September to mid December. The city is heavily reliant on this seasonal rainfall to replenish water supplies. When the monsoon is small or doesn’t happen, the consequences are serious and people are faced with severe drought during the hot summer months. Equally, elongated monsoons with torrential rainfall bring serious problems causing the lakes and rivers to swell, consequently flooding surrounding populated areas.

Over and above the problems associated with the monsoon there are also other problems that the people in Chennai have to deal with. The Bay of Bengal produces tropical cyclones that occasionally hit the city bringing heavy winds and rains. There is a much rarer threat created out at sea, which is by far the most destructive, the tsunami.

The December 2004 Tsunami hit many Asian countries, including the south east coast of India. The aftermath was horrific. In the Tondiarpet district of Chennai, thousands of people were left dead and there were even more without family and homes. This prompted EHSO and many other NGOs to take immediate action. A huge relief effort was started to provide help and support to the affected people.


2004 Tsunami relief calendar
2004 Tsunami photos
Other relief work