CHENNAI: Heavy rains lashed the state capital on Tuesday disrupting public life and bringing the city to its knees. Chennai got a glimpse of what is to come this monsoon season -- water stagnation in several interior roads and water entering homes in some areas. Despite the availability of relief centres, limited public awareness about their locations left many residents dealing with rainwater entering homes and power outages on Tuesday.
According to the RMC, Nungambakkam recorded 11.2 cm of rainfall from 8.30 am to 7.30 pm on Tuesday. Northern Chennai, which includes areas like Kathivakkam, Thiruvottiyur, Manali and others, recorded 13 cm on average from Tuesday morning until around 3 pm, while Central Chennai experienced 15.8 cm and Velachery alone received 15 cm during the same period.
Homes inundated
When TNIE visited parts of Ezhil Nagar and Mullai Nagar near Vyasarpadi, residents were found navigating through severely waterlogged streets. Sources from Manali and Korattur also reported similar problems. Though a senior corporation official told this newspaper that no instance of rainwater entering houses was reported, hip-level water was observed in several homes in Mullai Nagar. The residents on the ground floor vacated their homes when water began to enter their houses between 12 am and 3 am on Tuesday.
V Kumaran (17), a resident who was assisting a fisherman with boats to transport people, expressed frustration over the lack of assistance from authorities.
"Water entered our homes at around midnight. We have moved to the upper floor, but all our appliances have been damaged. The fishermen helping us haven't had food since morning," he said.
The Captain Cotton Canal near Kodungaiyur also filled up, and the water began to overflow into homes in the surrounding areas. Fearing flood, the residents have parked their cars and other heavy vehicles on MKB Nagar bridge. In Korattur and Manali, while the residents initially believed that the newly constructed stormwater drain would prevent water stagnation, the water has already risen to knee level in areas like MGR Nagar and Kalaignar Nagar in Manali. Though the water has not yet entered homes, the residents fear the situation may worsen on Wednesday.
K Kannan, a resident of TVS Nagar East in Korattur said, "Despite the presence of stormwater drains, water entered our apartment building, rising to six inches inside and about 1 foot on the road."
Several parts of Korattur, Ambattur, Padi, and nearby areas faced severe flooding, disrupting traffic on Tuesday. The Central Avenue Road from Ambattur Industrial Estate to Korattur Junction, which connects the Chennai Bypass service road to MTH Road, was fully flooded, severely affecting vehicle movement. Portions of the Madras-Tirupati road, from Padi Junction to Avadi, were also inundated. The channel carrying water from Ambattur Lake to Korattur Lake overflowed, flooding nearby roads with waist-deep water. However, the water levels receded slightly by the evening.
Situation no different in South Chennai
Down south, the interior roads of Velachery and Madipakkam were found waterlogged on Tuesday afternoon. A 22-year-old woman who worked at the front desk of a telecom outlet and a resident of Tansi Nagar in Velachery said she was leaving for her hometown as the authorities have failed to address the waterlogging issues this year too. Tansi Nagar 16th and 19th streets were severely waterlogged along with Ram Nagar and Vijayanagar areas.
Residents here were found stocking up on groceries and essentials that were being sold at inflated rates. One kg of tomatoes was being sold for Rs140.
"It is clear that with one more spell of rain, we will be trapped in our homes since the streets will be completely flooded," said Yogesh P of Vijayanagar.
With heavy rains lashing almost the entire city from Monday night to Tuesday morning, the roads leading to St Thomas Mount Metro were severely waterlogged on Tuesday afternoon. Even with the increase in the train frequency, it became very difficult for the passengers to reach the entrance of the station. The parking spaces were also shut as water had started entering them.
R Kumaran, a retired private company employee and a resident of Adambakkam, said, "My son and I were planning to go to our relatives' house at Teynampet. The plan was that he would park the bike at the metro station and accompany me to their place. But since the parking lot has been closed, he had dropped me here and gone back home. I'll have to manage alone. I've decided to stay at my relatives' house till the rains get over."
Meanwhile, at South Raja Street in Alandur, sewage was found overflowing. Motors were used to pump out the water from the streets. Transportation was also severely disrupted. Eight of the 22 subways managed by the GCC were waterlogged by Tuesday morning.
Live from ICCC
TNIE, reporting from the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), observed that residents from areas such as South Thirumalai Nagar in Villivakkam, Ezhil Nagar, and Madhavaram near Thanikachalam Canal, among others, called in with complaints of water stagnation. A private hospital in Alandur also reported power outage issues.
The ICCC received over 3,800 rain-related complaints on Tuesday, ranging from water stagnation to other issues. While officials claimed that 134 complaints of water stagnation were registered, they reported that all but 32 of these are yet to be resolved, and added that all eight fallen trees were cleared.
The number of operational cooking centres was increased from one to 16 by Tuesday afternoon, while 91 boats were pre-positioned in vulnerable areas. Fishermen's boats were deployed in Mullai Nagar, where residents were already dealing with waist-high water.
(With inputs from Sinduja Jane, B Anbuselvan, Subashini Vijayakumar, Gautham Selvarajan, Nirupama Viswanathan)
