Jan Imhoff

On November 25, meteorologists of the India Meteorological Department observed a deep depression forming in the Bay of Bengal. Their initial forecast was that the depression would weaken and that a cyclone would not form, as the depression was moving at the unusually slow speed of 3 kmph, far below the typical cyclone speed of 10-12 kmph.

While preparatory work for the expansion of the Matrimandir Lake has started, two new experiments involving the Lake are underway. One is pumped hydro; the other, underwater water storage.

The first section of the 10 metres deep and 100 metres long Matrimandir test lake is nearing completion. By the end of September, the digging was finalized, two five-metre high walls of concrete lego blocks had come up on either side of the lake, and the lake’s floor and slopes were clad with a high density polyethylene (hdpe) liner embedded between two layers of geotextile.