Chennai city that has recently faced devastating floods, is now attempting to return to normalcy. The aftermath of the disastrous floods has left the northern areas of Chennai severely damaged, prompting criticism of the DMK government’s handling of the situation. Despite the visible challenges, the DMK government and its IT wing have sought to project an image of normalcy, downplaying the extent of the damage.
In an effort to deflect criticism, the DMK government and its IT wing have drawn comparisons between the recent floods and the floods in 2015, attempting to showcase their performance as superior to the previous ADMK government. Alleged fact-checker Iyan Karthikeyan, relying on data provided by TNM, a DMK mouthpiece, attempted to prove that the rainfall in 2023 exceeded that of 2015.
In the nearly 20-minute video, YouTurn claims it was only news channels like NewsJ that were spreading “fake news” that 2015 saw more rain than 2023. In the article by The News Minute, they quoted weather bloggers Chennai Rains’ Srikanth insisting on examining a 48-hour timeframe in the context of the 2023 floods. This distinction he said arises because the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) records rainfall data from 8.30 am to 8.30 am the following day. In the recent floods, the peak rainfall occurred between 8.30 pm on December 3 and 8.30 pm on 4 December 2023.
The DMK IT wing, in connivance with YouTurn, has not only defended the government’s narrative but also targeted journalists reporting on the ground. Journalists such as Red Pix Felix, who contradicted the official stance by stating that 2015 witnessed more rainfall than 2023, became the subject of scrutiny and accusations of spreading fake news.
It is noteworthy that journalists like Dhanya Rajendran, Ahmed Shabir, Avudaiyappan, and Devendran Palanisamy, who are known for peddling propaganda favourable to the DMK, reported on the flood situation without directly criticizing the government. However, the DMK IT wing seemingly could not tolerate any dissent, leading to attacks against their own Dravidianist journalists.
In an attempt to settle the debate, the regional meteorological center of Tamil Nadu IMD released cumulative rain data for Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam, comparing the rainfall between October 1 and December 10 of 2015 and 2023. The data clearly indicates that 2015 experienced higher rainfall, contradicting the claims made by the DMK IT wing and YouTurn.
In an attempt to substantiate their claim that the rainfall in 2023 surpassed that of 2015, the DMK IT wing selected two arbitrary intervals, showcasing a significantly higher single-day rainfall in 2023 compared to 2015. However, the DMK IT wing, seemingly underestimating the intelligence of those not aligned with the DMK, committed a glaring and significant error when choosing intervals for the comparison between the rainfall in 2015 and 2023.
What the DMK showed:
#மிக்ஜாம்_புயல் அன்று ஒரே நாளில் 450+ மிமி மழை பொழிந்துள்ளதாக @ChennaiRmc கூறியுள்ளது. அதே போல் 2015ல் ஒரே நாளில் அதிகபட்சமாக 230மிமி தான் மழை பதிவாகியுள்ளது என்றும் கூறியுள்ளது.
மீனம்பாக்கத்தில் 2015ல 400மிமி க்கும் குறைவு. 2023ல் 500+mm.
இதை வேற தூக்கிட்டு சுத்துது ஒரு க்ரூப் pic.twitter.com/gXYjHND2oq
— சாய் லட்சுமிகாந்த் பாரதி (@sailaks11) December 12, 2023
To conduct a fair comparison between the rainfall in 2015 and 2023, it is imperative to use equal intervals. However, in an effort to portray that the rainfall in 2023 was higher, the DMK IT wing opted for a longer interval for 2023 and a shorter interval for 2015 rainfall. During the period of the AIADMK regime, the DMK IT wing chose the interval from December 1st to December 3rd, reporting around 300mm of rain during that time. Conversely, to depict higher rainfall during the DMK regime, they extended the interval from December 1st to December 6th, citing a rainfall of 450mm during the same period. A proper comparison between the rainfall in 2015 and 2023 should involve equal intervals.
In their attempt to assert that the rainfall in 2023 was significantly greater, the DMK IT wing, seemingly considering themselves the sole intelligent entities on the planet, made a misguided effort to deceive the public. This misleading information propagated by the DMK IT wing warrants scrutiny
Here is the correct comparison.
Ashok Kumar is a PhD scholar at India premier scientific research institute.
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