CHENNAI: With the city receiving continuous heavy rainfall since last night, the highest since 2015, residents in many parts of Tamil Nadu's capital woke up to inundation on Sunday morning. Normal life was thrown out of gear in the city with waterlogging reported from various places.
Official sources said that as against the 246.5 mm rainfall recorded in Nungambakkam on November 16, 2015, the rainfall recorded on the intervening night of November 6 and 7, 2021 was around 215 mm.
Chief Minister MK Stalin, who inspected the rain-hit areas in some parts of the city on Sunday, urged people who have planned to visit Chennai to postpone their journey for the next few days due to the forecast of heavy rain in the city. He further declared a holiday for two days for the schools in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, and Thiruvalluvar in the wake of heavy rainfall.
To provide shelter to the affected people 140 camps have been established. Of them, 44 camps have been opened where the affected people stayed.
To drain the water from the residential area 500 huge size motor pumps are beinig utilized.
Personnel from NDRF has been sent to Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur, and Madurai districts except for Chennai.
Authorities have been deployed to keenly monitor the water level of lakes in and around Chennai to prevent sudden and flash flood incidents.
Our Virdhunagar correspondent reports that Minister for Disaster Management KKSSR Ramachandran told media persons at Srivilliputhur that it was after seven years Chennai has received the heaviest single-day rainfall of 134.29 millimetres in the 24-hour period that ended on Sunday morning.
The minister said that after the 2015 Chennai floods, the state capital recorded very heavy rainfall since Saturday night while the average rainfall received in Tamil Nadu was 18.24 millimeters. Water stagnation and damages have been reported in Chennai and the chief minister is carrying out an inspection in the affected areas to assess damages, he added.
Flood alerts have been issued to people living along the banks of the lakes and steps are underway to evacuate the people from such areas to relief camps at schools and colleges nearby for safety, Ramachandran noted.
During the meeting chaired by the chief minister, orders were issued to all district collectors to carry out all necessary mitigation works in order to prevent any loss of life as the monsoon intensifies, the Minister shared. Coastal districts are on high alert as they are to be affected badly due to heavy rains.
Meanwhile, parts of Kolathur, Anna Nagar main road and other areas including near Padi flyover, Ashok Pillar, Korattur, Velachery, Arya Gowda Road in West Mambalam, Perambur, Prakasam street near Habibullah road, parts of Virugambakkam, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Ambattur, Madipakkam and Vyasarpadi were flooded among others.
In Otteri Salai (division 169) in the Perungudi zone, one of the main courses for draining rainwater in the area, residents were left with water inside their houses. Residents said that the storm water drain outlet to the lake was blocked after the rains last year, since it also carried sewage but has not been removed in time for rains this year.
"With only a few hours of rain, water has already entered our houses. With two young children, we shudder to think what will be when the rains continue. We had tried registering a complaint through 1913 but it did not go through. When filing a complaint through the Namma Chennai app, we were given the phone number of the assistant but was switched off ," said Patel, a resident of Otteri Salai.
In Ambattur's DTP colony, one of the first areas to be flooded in Ambattur, streets and houses were flooded on Sunday. Residents are waiting for authorities to drain the water into Korattur lake by breaking the bund as is usually done during inundation in the area.
After a night of heavy rain, a city corporation report recorded water logging in 39 locations in the city as of Sunday morning.
These areas included Ashok avenue, Sivananda Salai, CIT Nagar, CLRI Nagar, Neelankarai Link Road, TP scheme road in Tondiarpet zone among others. The city corporation is in the process of clearing up water stagnation in these areas.
Corporation officials said that the staff was on the field, clearing up waterlogging with pumps and ensuring drainage of water.
Residents may contact 1913, 04425619206, 04425619207, 04425619208 for flood-related grievances.
Plans to release water from Chembarambakkam reservoir
Following incessant rains since Saturday night, Chembarambakkam reservoir received a copious inflow of rainwater, increasing the water level to 21 feet, against the total capacity of 24 feet.
Currently, the water level at the reservoir is still rising and if the depth touches 22 feet, 500 cusecs of water have been released from Chembarambakkam. A flood alert has been issued to those living in low lying areas of Sirukalathur, Kavanur, Kundrathur, Thirumudivakkam, Thiruneermalai, and Adyar
More water may be released if rains continue.
The catchment areas of Chembarambakkam have received 52 mm rainfall and the reservoir has been receiving an inflow of 600 cusecs of water.
Flood alert has been issued to those living in low lying areas of Sirukalathur, Kavanur, Kundrathur, Thirumudivakkam, Vazhuthiyampedu, Thiruneermalai and Adyar.
The volume of water at Chembarambakkam stood at 2934 mcft (80.49 per cent full) as against its total capacity of 3645 mcft. Similarly, Thervoy Kandigai is 98 per cent full, Poondi is at 88.6 per cent, Red Hills at 87.03 per cent and Cholavaram at 84.64 per cent.
Rainfall recorded since yesterday afternoon:
Cholavaram- 93 mm
Red Hills- 73 mm
Chembarambakkam- 52 mm
Thervoy Kandigai- 58 mm
Poondi- 34 mm
Meanwhile, the flight operations are not affected in Chennai airport till afternoon. However, the airport officials said they are monitoring the release of water from the Chembarambakkam reservoir and are on guard for any impact as the airport is located close to the Adyar River. Water released from the reservoir flows into the Adyar river.