Prasar Bharati, DD News Tweet 2017 Video as Flooding Due to Cyclone Nivar in Chennai’s Marina Beach

Tropical Cyclone Nivar made landfall near Puducherry in the early hours of November 26, bringing heavy downpour to the union territory and neighbouring Tamil Nadu where three people have died. Prasar Bharati News shared a video from their official Twitter handle claiming it shows Marina beach in Chennai underwater due to heavy rain. (Archive link)

Marina beach in Chennai underwater as Chennai is receiving incessant rain. pic.twitter.com/SPTdHZVFM0

— Prasar Bharati News Services पी.बी.एन.एस. (@PBNS_India) November 25, 2020

DD News Malayalam retweeted this video while reporting that Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka have issued a high alert. (Archive link)

 DD News Andhra also shared this video on its official Facebook page. (Archive link)

The clip has been circulated on Facebook and Twitter by individual users as well. 

Old video from 2017

A keyword search on Facebook in Tamil ‘மெரீனா கடற்கரை’ (Marina Beach) led us to a Facebook post where the same video was shared on November 3, 2017. 

We subsequently looked for the video on Youtube and saw that the clip was uploaded by a verified channel ‘New Waves’ that same day. It uploaded a collage of pictures and videos of flood-affected area in Chennai where the video was also attached. 

The coast of marina beach was severely affected due to heavy rainfall in November 2017. Visuals from the time show small shops submerged in the water. 

 On November 5, 2017, Deccan Chronicle reported that the death toll crossed 10 as thousands took refuge in relief camps. Marina beach was inundated due to incessant downpour. 

All roads leading to Marina beach have also been temporarily closed in the ongoing severe cyclonic storm Nivar.

Prasar Bharti shared a three-year-old video of flooding in Chennai’s Marina beach as recent. This was amplified by DD News. 

Courtesy: Alt News