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Why This Dravidian Stock Weatherman Is A DMK Propagandist

The Commune

As though he has been appointed the official weatherman of the state, Sun News carried a news card carrying the information that self-proclaimed, freelance weather blogger TamilNadu Weatherman, Pradeep John, explaining the reason for rainwater stagnation in Chennai following heavy rains. The news card read, “The total rainfall that Chennai receives drains only through four channels (Ennore, Napier, Adyar, Okkyam via Kovalam). Chennai can withstand 15 cm of rain. If it rains 20 cm, water will accumulate for a day. If there is 30 cm of rain, the areas near water bodies like Pallikaranai, Pulianthoppu, and Mudichur will definitely get stagnant. If it rains 40 cm, we are in an environment where water will remain for 4 days. Rainwater drains are laid for roads. Drainage cannot be constructed for rainfall of 40 cm. It is important to understand the context of our area and be proactive. -Pradeep John, private meteorologist”

This he had said in an interview with a YouTube channel. If we listen to the entire interview, it would sound as if he is justifying the stagnation and covering up the failures of the DMK government.

Justifying Flooding & Stagnation

In an interview with Galatta, he says, “We can withstand and manage rain up to 15cm. We can manage somewhat when we receive 20cm of rainfall. Yes, water will stagnate for a day, if we receive 30cm of rain, surely the localities like Pallikaranai marshlands, Pulianthope, Mudichur, Paruthipattu, Thiruverkadu, Mugalivakkam, will see stagnation – all these places have water bodies near them. If we receive 40cm of rain, we will surely see water stagnating for 4 days because we know we have those problems.”

He also said, “People are expecting rainwater to drain out immediately after it stops raining. It doesn’t happen even in developed countries. If you look at intense rains, about 50-60mm rains fall within 30-40 minutes. I have already mentioned that ours is a flat surface. We cannot compare with Delhi, Mumbai or Hyderabad. If you observe from the TNagar area to the beach, it is very flat. So it takes time for water to drain out. There will be 1-2 hours of stagnation. We cannot call it flooding by any definition. If we receive 150mm of rain, water will stagnate for 6 hours surely. And if we receive more than 200mm, the water will stagnate for a day. Stormwater drains are laid for roads. We cannot lay SWD for cyclones like Michaung where we received 400mm rain. In that case, we have to dig up the roads and make it a drain. That is not feasible. We cannot make SWDs for heavy rains that come once in 100 years.”

Had this been the case all along, the question arises as to why the government did not take appropriate measures to handle the situation better beforehand. It is also not clear as to what qualifications a “freelance weather blogger” watching rains for a hobby say such “facts” which is held up as “gospel truth” by DMK’s mouthpieces like Sun News.

It is noteworthy that Pradeep John has been giving interviews to media channels as well as YouTube channels over the past few days/weeks continuously as if he is building up his image profile.

In an interview with Karthigaichelvan of News18 Tamil in what seemed like a scripted interview, it was seen that whenever Pradeep John misspoke, Karthigaichelvan strategically intervened to change the topic or redirect attention to his team member, Srikanth. Dravidianist journalist Karthigaichelvan aimed to showcase Pradeep John and his team’s predictions as accurate. His questioning technique and hints at specific answers indicated a calculated approach throughout the discussion. For instance, he asked how they accessed their data, then paused briefly before emphasizing that their predictions had indeed been proven correct, so that they may answer to that accordingly.

Later establishing narrative for some time about their background as significant predictors, Karthigaichelvan shifted to direct accusations against the IMD. He questioned when the IMD could fail how Pradeep John and his team managed to make accurate predictions. Karthigaichelvan remarked, “As far as I can see there is a lot of negativity in the digital world but in that you all have relatively positive response and I think people like you to that extent.” He then questioned another weatherman, Srikanth, asking, “Everyone has a view that how can private weatherman predict exactly. How is that possible, when you are also taking the data from IMD and predict, when they (IMD) can’t?”

In response, Srikanth explained that when data is provided in a generic form, it can lead to inaccuracies. He stated that the IMD needs to offer comprehensive data for all of Tamil Nadu, rather than just general information. He emphasized that there are many factors to consider. He added that while he or Pradeep might rely on intuition, the government cannot afford to use intuition at an official level.

During the interview, Pradeep also echoed the DMK’s narrative regarding the recent tragedy at the IAF Marina Air Show, attributing the loss of lives to humidity. He seemed to blame the people for not taking enough water with them and not staying hydrated throught the event. This indirectly downplayed the acknowledged inefficiencies and mismanagement by the event organizers.

Later, Pradeep John addressed the perception that he was favoring the ruling government, clarifying that his focus was solely on serving the citizens, not supporting any political party. Karthigaichelvan reinforced this, stating that such branding is intended to undermine their work, urging Pradeep to disregard these claims and continue his efforts. Pradeep John said, “This has severe political sensitivity. If we post a comment like this, the branding that comes with it is very difficult. (They say) he is favoring them, for that government, but it is not like that. Our idea is whoever comes to power, we should work closely with them, benefit the people, and give as much as possible.”

When Pradeep attempted to clarify that they did not undermine the IMD, Karthigaichelvan quickly interrupted, complimenting his work as the testament will contradict their agenda, opined, “Generally, branding is an attempt to curtail your activities, so you don’t have to worry about it. There is big branding for you among people.”

For all the hype that is given to Pradeep John, what were his actual predictions like?

Weather Blogger Pradeep John’s Fudged Data During 2023 Floods

During the Michaung Cyclone that caused significant devastation to residents of Chennai, leading to widespread flooding across the city, the private weather blogger Pradeep John appeared at a press meeting with DMK ministers, where he manipulated the 36-hour rainfall data by comparing it to 24-hour data, claiming that the current administration is performing better. It’s important to note that Pradeep rose to prominence during the 2015 floods.

In reality, the city was inundated like no other. Areas that had never been flooded even during the 2015 floods like Annanagar, Madambakkam etc which do not flood during the monsoon season, were all inundated and water had entered most of the ground floor homes by 4 December 2023. Kollywood actor Vishal who took to social media platform X shared his plight from his Annanagar home. He said, “During such rains, we all know what will happen and is happening. First, they switch off the power, then waterlogging starts on the streets and then it enters homes. I am in Annanagar and water has entered my home. If this is the state of Annanagar, then imagine how it will be in low-lying areas. In 2015, we were able to help others as much as possible, but after 8 years, the situation is even worse. They announced a stormwater drain project, I am not able to find anything related to that – when was it started, when did they finish it, I have no idea. This is a request as a voter in the state, all MLAs from Chennai, please come out of your homes and have a look at the city and do whatever your constituency needs. This is not a political remark, this is a remark against the waterlogging problem. Even for a small rain, water gets logged in T Nagar but this time the entire city is waterlogged, and it is a disgusting and embarrassing situation we are in. Please take immediate measures for resolving this.”

“2021 Rains Were Heaviest Since 2015”

In 2021, when the DMK government had just come to power, it was peddled that Chennai, along with 11 other districts, received more than 20 cm of rain. This stage was set by Pradeep John on his weather blog and the same narrative was carried out in 2023 floods as well.

Despite Pradeep John claiming that he worked equally with both the Dravidian governments over the years with respect to weather predictions, it is clearly seen that he buttresses the DMK unfailingly.

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