Chennai marooned as rain lashes Tamil Nadu
CHENNAI: Amid dark clouds and squally winds, the flooding, triggered by intense showers and release of surplus from dams, transformed several areas in Chennai and its suburbs into a virtual, large water body as streets swirled with deluge and trash, while 14 people were killed in rain-related incidents in Tamil Nadu. The heavy rain also forced the closure of the airport for all incoming flights.
The depression over Bay of Bengal, that moved towards the metropolis, crossed the coast on Thursday evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. “The depression started crossing the coast on Thursday evening. In the six hours before that, it moved with a speed of 16 kilometres per hour,” said deputy director general of meteorology S Balachandran, adding that the landfall continued for two hours.
Heavy rains and strong winds lashed Chennai overnight with the city’s Nungambakkam station recording 140.5 mm of rainfall until 5.30 am on Thursday, inundating homes and submerging roads. The IMD said that extremely heavy rainfall had occurred over isolated places in the districts of Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur and Karaikal in the 24 hours from 8.30am on Wednesday.
The heavy rains have been caused by the depression which moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 21 kmph during the wee hours of early Thursday and lay centred by 5.30am about 170 km east-southeast of Chennai and 170 km east of Puducherry.
Eleven subways and several roads in Chennai and several roads were closed down due to extreme water logging. Traffic was diverted and at least four trees were uprooted. Reservoirs in Chembarambakkam, Redhills, Cholavaram, Poondi and Veeranam had reached their maximum capacity and water was being discharged from the reservoirs.
The popular Marina beach, which runs from near the Fort St George area in the north to the Foreshore Estate in the south, flooded after the heavy downpour.
Authorities used heavy duty motors, robotic excavators and deployed its full manpower to pump out water, de-clog drains, remove trash and uprooted trees.
The heavy rainfall since Wednesday night covered almost the entire city under sheets of water and rain water entered state-run hospitals in KK Nagar and Chromepet prompting authorities to shift patients to other facilities.
Fearing damage, several residents of deluge-hit Ram Nagar in Madipakkam parked their cars on the nearby Velachery flyover’s margin or underneath similar facilities nearby. The bylanes of Pudupet, near the swollen Cooum River, Choolai, Semmancherry, Kodambambakkam, KK Nagar-MGR Nagar and Arumbakkam were among the innumerable neighbourhoods hit by the deluge.
The streets around Hasthinapuram, close to suburban Chrompet resembled an angry speeding river, with water level raising over three-feet. Inunda-
tion in several places like the Five Furlong Road in GuindyVelachary point was about three feet or a little over it. The inundation hit neighbourhoods like those off Mudichur, Perungalathur and Nandivaram-Guduvancherry appeared like mini islands with little access to essential needs and power supply was disconnected to all such neighbourhoods considering safety. A woman who was riding a scooter on the road abutting Raj Bhavan was injured when a tree fell. The woman was rushed to a hospital by authorities and the fallen tree was removed. Besides Chennai and its suburbs which fall under the districts of Chengelpet, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram, other regions of the state including the northern belt too received heavy rainfall. The state government said 14 people were killed so far in rainrelated incidents in Tamil Nadu. Chief minister MK Stalin held discussions with ministers and chaired a meeting of top state officials led by chief secretary V Irai Anbu to review the rain situation. The CM directed officials specially deputed to manage rain-related issues in various districts to expedite the relief activities and ensure quality food and medical facilities in relief camps. He further wanted the authorities to take steps to prevent crop loss. The chief minister also ordered constituting a six-member ministerial panel, headed by cooperatives minister I Periyasamy, to assess crop damage, especially in the Cauvery delta region, and submit a report to the government to expedite relief work, an official release said. In view of water-logging, suburban train services saw suspensions between Chennai Central and Tiruvallur and delay on the Gummidipoondi side. Later in a tweet, the railways said, “We are happy to inform that there has been an improvement in the number of services from Chennai Central towards Tiruvallur and Arakkonam and only a few services are suspended for the time being. Work is underway to bring the train services back to normal.#ChennaiRain.” Arrival of flights was suspended till Thursday evening in view of showers and heavy winds though departures continued. “Due to severe rains and heavy cross winds, arrivals at #AAI Chennai Airport will remain suspended from 1315 hrs to 1800 hrs, today. Departures will continue. The decision has been taken considering the safety aspect of passengers and severity of wind,” the Chennai Airport tweeted.