Chennai: Intermittent, widespread rains lashed Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, bringing residential neighbourhoods and roads under knee-deep water and leading to traffic congestion besides affecting public transport services. While bus services were affected in several areas, Southern Railway announced cancellation of four express trains including the Chennai Central-Mysuru Kaveri Express due to waterlogging. Several domestic flights were cancelled as sufficient number of passengers did not turn up to avail services.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast more rains for the next two days in the state.
A bulletin said that on October 16, “heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy rain at one or two places is likely to occur over Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Chennai districts.”
Chief Minister M K Stalin, along with state ministers, inspected work to drain rain water in flood prone localities and took civic workers to a tea shop and bought them tea and biscuits and also had tea with them.
Stalin hailed the services of sanitary/civic workers and officials notwithstanding heavy rains and said he will stand shoulder to shoulder with the frontline workers.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin inspected several localities, including the Narayanapuram lake near Velachery and authorities said the surplus rain from the lake water drains into channels due to advance desilting work.
He inspected the integrated command and control centre of Chennai Corporation, functioning from its headquarters, the Ripon Building, here to review ongoing work to tackle the situation arising out of the rains.
Tamil Nadu DGP Shankar Jiwal visited the State Police Flood Control Room at the operations headquarters here and interacted with the 6 teams of State Disaster Response Force and reviewed disaster related equipment.
As rains and thunderstorms continued, there was a dip in the number of road users in the city and suburbs. Local train operations, including Metro Rail, by and large, remained unaffected till evening.
Some people, who own cars in flood-prone Ram Nagar in Madipakkam parked their vehicles in nearby Velachery bridge, a key part of busy south Chennai, and some, reportedly, moved away from their homes to hotels.
For the coastal districts of Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengelpet, the state government declared October 16 a holiday for schools, colleges and government offices, barring essential services, in view of forecast of heavy rainfall.
The government, in its advisory, asked private establishments to facilitate ‘work from home’ option for their employees. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said the low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal turned on October 15 into a well-marked low pressure area and it is likely to become a depression.
“Under its influence, widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rain occurred over Tamil Nadu and moderate rain occurred over Puducherry & Karaikal during the past 24 hours,” a RMC bulletin here said.
Furthermore, the RMC said isolated heavy to very heavy rain is likely in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal during the next three days with extremely heavy rain at one or two places during the next two days (October 16 and 17).
Squally weather with 40 to 50 kmph wind speed, gusting to 60 kmph, is likely in north coastal Tamil Nadu on October 16 and fishermen have been advised against venturing into sea.
Also, the RMC said Southwest monsoon has withdrawn and Northeast monsoon rainfall activity has commenced in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and coastal Andhra Pradesh.
Civic authorities said trees that fell were removed then and there and water logging is being cleared by pumping out water into stormwater drains. Heavy-duty motors mounted on tractors have been deployed to clear waterlogging. Boats have also been stationed in vulnerable areas.
Greater Chennai Corporation announced a helpline number 1913.
A holiday had been declared for schools and colleges on October 15 and the government requested people to check the TN Alert App for weather updates.
Since Monday night, Chennai and its suburbs have been experiencing intermittent rains.
According to the RMC bulletin, Kudumiyanmalai in Pudukottai district received 13 cm rainfall.
Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district and Ennore in Chennai received 10 cm rainfall each. A vast majority of areas of the state have been covered by monsoon rains, which ranged between 1 cm to 9 cm. The rainfall data is for the 24-hour period commencing from 08.30 am on October 14 and ending on 8.30 AM the following day.
Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday reviewed the preparations taken by authorities to tackle the situation that may arise in view of the heavy rain predicted by the met office.
The CM directed that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force be deployed in advance in the areas prone to be affected.