CHENNAI: As 32-year-old Vignesh looks out from his balcony, he sees people being ferried away on boats. As he awaits his turn to leave his house in Mudichur, he said, “Flooding is an annual affair for us.”
As on Friday, even after the rains stopped, hundreds of families like Vignesh’s remained stranded in Mudichur and Thiruneermalai, low-lying areas in Chennai’s southern suburbs, which remain inundated.
The situation is similar in other southern suburbs of Chennai such as West Tambaram, Perumbakkam, and Semmancheri, where rainwater inundation recurs every year.
Entry, exit ramps of OMR flooded
“OUR only solution is to sell our houses and vacate. But we could never find a prospective buyer as everyone knows this is a flood plain,” rued Vignesh, who will return to his house, once the water recedes. S Ramarajan (56), a resident of Mullai Nagar in Mudichur, said his family, which has not been evacuated, is managing with existing food supplies as all markets and shops have been closed.
“There is still no electricity after four days. We cannot step out,” he added. With water yet to recede from roads, boats remain the main mode of transport in these suburbs. The fire service personnel have deployed two boats to rescue families from the Thiruneermalai locality.
Most of the entry and exit ramps on the Outer Ring Road (ORR), and the Maduravoyal-Tambaram bypass too remain flooded, blocking passage to many of the suburban towns. Near West Tambaram, the ORR is still submerged, and cars have been parked on its flyover.
Meanwhile, areas such as Perumbakkam and Semmenchery too are affected by water stagnation, with water entering into most of the houses. Residents there complained of the presence of reptiles inside their houses. While it appears that the stagnant water may take up to one week to recede, the district administration has deployed motors to pump out the water, in some areas.
COASTGUARD DEPLOYS 5 TEAMS FOR RELIEF OPERATIONS
Chennai: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has deployed five teams for augmenting flood relief operations in Chennai. ICG, in coordination with the Fisheries Department, has also ensured safe return of all fishing boats of Tamil Nadu operating in sea prior to the landfall of the depression, thereby achieving nil casualty, according to a release.