Army out for relief in rain-hit Chennai, air services suspended

Spoke to Jayalalithaa ji on the flood situation in parts of Tamil Nadu. Assured all possible support & cooperation in this unfortunate hour.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 1, 2015

Two columns of army’s Garrison Infantry Battalion have been pressed into service in Tambaram and Oorapakkam after the Tamil Nadu government sought military assistance. The Navy is also on stand-by.

A view the Marina Beach during heavy downpour in Chennai on Tuesday. PTI photo

“More army personnel are coming to Chennai from Bengaluru,” a Defence Public Relations official said adding “they have already left for Chennai.”

Also Read: 12 images that show Chennai is still suffering from monsoon

All flight operations at Chennai airport were suspended tonight. 11 foreign and 9 domestic flights from the airport were put on hold as no landing or take-off was allowed till late in the evening. Officials said they might review the decision at midnight to take a call on resuming operations.

ChennaiAirport closed till 6am, flights being diverted to Bangalore,flooded AdyarRIver affects runway operations @IndianExpress

— Arun Janardhanan (@arunjei) December 1, 2015

#ChennaiFloods Aftr all suburban trains cancelled to city suburbs, hundreds stranded at RlwyStations @IndianExpresspic.twitter.com/ophQms358Q

— Arun Janardhanan (@arunjei) December 1, 2015

@shukla_tarun @arunjei @ananthkrishnan @IndiGo6E Floating Ground Force in Chennai airport! pic.twitter.com/tpPn6bByce

— Mohan Ranganathan (@captranganathan) December 1, 2015

A senior airport official said while the runways were free of water logging, they suspended flight operations as a precautionary measure following waterlogging in some other areas, adding, they did not want to take a chance.

The rains that have virtually broken a 100-year-old record with one day’s rainfall covering a month’s average also flooded areas in Vadapalani, Valasaravakkam and Nandamvakkam as nearby lakes overflowed into the city.

Rescuers shifting patients from a flooded hospital after heavy rains in Chennai on Tuesday. PTI Photo

Adding to the woes, Chennai city and neighbouring districts braced for more rains as the Met deparment predicted heavy to very heavy rains in the next four days.

Most areas of Chennai, which have already been lashed by rains for over a fortnight, went under water today severely disrupting train and bus services and forcing postponment of half-yearly school exams and closure of schools in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts.

A view of waterlogged railway track in Chennai on Tuesday. PTI Photo

A large part of the road near Madhya Kailash temple in the heart of the city in an area that connects the IT corridor, caved in resulting in a huge crater and disrupting traffic.

Even in hitherto unaffected areas, people complained that water entered their homes and roads flooded with surging waters. Several areas in the city went without power as supply was cut as a safety precaution.

The situation has worsened in suburban areas of Tambaram and Mudichur after the Chembarakam lake overflowed and an unprecedented 26,000 cusecs of water was being released flooding the downstream areas. These areas had already suffered heavily during the earlier spells of rains.

The Marina beach on the Bay of Bengal coast is partly covered with rainwater after heavy rains in Chennai on Tuesday. PTI photo

National Disaster Rescue Force has already despatched ten teams of which four are already in Chennai and the rest will be flying in tomorrow. “At the same time, we are also requisitioning teams from Bengaluru and Andhra Pradesh,” NDRF chief O P Singh said.

Rescue work will begin and NDRF would deploy more teams if required. Teams carrying boats will also be sent to Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts.