Chennai : As overnight rains continued to pound parts of north Tamil Nadu, thousands of residents in Chennai and its neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur battled hardship as localities came under sheets of waist deep water. With many lakes reaching their brim, authorities opened the sluice gates to let out excess water into the nearby rivulets flooding hundreds of homes.
A concerned Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa undertook a road tour and announced allocation of Rs 500 crore towards relief and rehabilitation.
Many neighbourhoods went without milk supply and newspapers as vendors and delivery boys stayed away. In the last week, over a hundred persons had died in coastal Tamil Nadu in rail related incidents. “Water mixed with sewage has entered our home. Reptiles and insects have also made their way inside. With a baby, we had to abandon our house to check into a hotel. Our neighbours left for their native place after locking their inundated home,” said Madhavan of Velachery, a low lying area in south Chennai.
Many people took shelter in nearby schools and community centres. Call taxi operators including Uber, Meru and Ola almost shut down operations though rains has receded on Monday. “Taxi drivers are refusing to ply as they all have own vehicles and do not want to risk taking flooded roads,” said a representative of Ola.
Chennai last witnessed such a scenario in November 2008 during the Mumbai terror attacks. The last few years saw only mild showers.
Though rains have lasted through last week, it was not as severe as in 2005 when 21 cm rain was recorded overnight. Meanwhile, with Assembly elections just a few months away, politicians made the most of the crisis. DMK leader M K Stalin walked through flooded streets wearing gum boots and distributed free provisions to affected families. He accused the State and the Chennai Corporation of failing to adequately prepare to tackle the monsoons.
