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 in the wake of Cyclone Phailin which hit the state in 2013. He said the centre would take necessary steps on West Bengal's demand for central assistance in the wake of the heavy rains in the last monsoon. Sudip Bandopadhyay of Trinamool Congress said the central team decided on assistance without consulting the chief minister. He said West Bengal had suffered both drought and floods. Expressing unhappiness over the minister's reply, Trinamool Congress members staged a walk out. Bhartruhari Mahtab of Biju Janata Dal said the minister had not given a concrete reply over the state's demands in the wake of cyclone Phalin during which nearly 10 lakh people were evacuated to safer places. Deputy Speaker M. Thambidurai, an MP from the AIADMK, said the central government should accept all the demands of the Tamil Nadu chief minister relating to the flood situation. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the central government should call a meeting of Niti Aayog and increase the amount of assistance to the states. Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav suggested creating a separate department to deal with natural disasters. Rajnath Singh said: "The central government has been providing maximum assistance to states and will continue to do so." Source: ummid.com. Beleaguered Chennai hit by rains; fresh spell expected, says Met department: Age Correspondent | Chennai: Highly residential localities received moderate to heavy rainfall. Chennai: Intermittent rains on Friday battered the already worst-hit areas in Chennai. Highly residential localities like Kodambakkam, T. Nagar, Adyar, Kotturpuram, Nungambbakkam, Mylapore and suburban Tamabaram received moderate to heavy rainfall that hampered the relief operation to some extent, 
People with their children wade through flood waters in Chennai. (Photo: AP)
particularly in the later parts of Friday. However, the Met Department has withdrawn the heavy rainfall warning to Chennai, but cautioned that light showers could occur for another 24 hours. However, heavy to very heavy rainfall warning is issued to Villipuram, Cuddalore and Cauvery delta districts of the state. Fresh spell of rain expected: The Met department has predicted heavy rains in Karaikal and Puducherry. The officials said isolated heavy rain may also occur over Kanyakumai and Tirunelveli districts of south Tamil Nadu. The Met office said low pressure area over Southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining Sri Lanka off Tamil Nadu coast with associated upper air cyclonic circulation extending upto 4.5 km above mean sea level persists, but the system was moving away reducing the possibility of rainfall considerably. On Friday, Nungambakkam recorded 29 mm and Meenambakkam received 27 mm of rainfall. With situation as delicate as it now, any quantum of rainfall would only severely hamper the relief and rescue. When television stations began putting out national Met office pronouncements referring to heavy rains in Chennai in the past tense, a silver lining may have been spotted. But the fear that the forecasts were being tempered down to give reassurance to people already savaged by extraordinary rain became true as the skies opened up in the afternoon, evening and night in many areas of the city. A neutral forecasting station had to be accessed to know the truth, which was not very rosy considering accuweaher.com the US based weather portal, is warning of more heavy spells of rain to come in the next few days, right up to next Wednesday. The Accuweather city forecast is for heavy showers on Saturday and a few showers on Sunday and heavy thunderstorm activity from Monday through Wednesday with accompanying heavy rainfall. Not only is the site reliable, but it also does not doctor the forecasts as the national and regional Met departments may tend to, being government organisations. Source: The Asian Age. Narendra Modi announces another Rs 1000-cr for Tamil Nadu,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa (Photo: Twitter) Modi in Chennai to take stock; Jayalalithaa conducts aerial survey
Met expects more rains, New Delhi: The heaviest rainfall in more than 100 years has devastated swathes of Tamil Nadu, with thousands forced to leave their submerged homes and schools, offices and a regional airport shut for a second day Thursday. At least 269 people had been killed in the state since heavy rains started in the beginning of November, said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, although no deaths have been reported in the latest deluge. Prime Minister Narendra Modi surveyed the destruction and flooding from an air force helicopter. Modi also met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to discuss the flood situation. The Prime Minister announced another Rs 1,000 crore assistance to the rain-hit state. "The Government of India stands by people of Tamil Nadu. I have directed Rs 1000 crore be released immediately for relief," said Modi. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa too went on an aerial survey and then met state officers to discuss relief. An aerial view of Chennai showed low-lying neighbourhoods as well the city's airport almost completely submerged. The Airport Authority of India said that the airport was likely to be closed until Sunday. Dozens of trains to the state have been delayed this week, and on Thursday the main train station was so heavily flooded that it had to shut
down operations. Singh said that railways officials convened an emergency meeting to get the station back on track quickly. Even though hundreds of Army, navy and local police and fire department rescuers were helping evacuate those trapped in their homes, Twitter and other social media were flooded with calls for help from across the city. Most of those still trapped were either the elderly or people with very young children. The state government cut power to several parts of Chennai as a safety measure to prevent electrocutions. Most deaths in the last month of rains have been due to drowning, electrocution and wall collapses. The Centre has described the situation in Chennai as "worrisome" and promised all possible support to the state government in the hour of crisis. Modi had earlier spoken to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to promise all possible support. Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Lok Sabha that 40 per cent of telephone and mobile connections were not working in the state. For the first time in over 40 years, the water has risen rapidly on the river breaching the road and the Maraimalai Adigal bridge in Saidapet cutting the arterial Anna Salai (Mount Road), rendering it out of bounds for motorists. "I can't even
 believe that this much water was possible in Chennai," one woman told a television channel as she stood in waist-deep water in the state capital. "We don't have any food. We don't have any milk," she said, adding that she had stepped out to see if she could find a shop selling some food. "But I'm scared to walk down this road. The water comes up almost to my hips." Chennai has received more than 330 millimeters (13 inches) of rain over the last 24 hours, which is significantly higher than the regional average for the entire month of December, Singh said. While the downpour eased early Thursday, the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted more heavy rain in several parts of the state through the rest of the week. The rains have been caused by a depression in the Bay of Bengal, the agency said. The Centre said it was making "all possible efforts" to provide succour and relief to the people of rain battered Chennai and other areas in Tamil Nadu. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the central government was in touch with the state government and the Union Home Secretary was continuously monitoring the situation in affected areas. "I have spoken to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. Centre is providing all assistance and will continue to help. Naval and Army forces have been mobilised and we have arranged helicopters but we can fly them in only after the situation improves. We are trying to reach wherever possible," he told reporters outside Parliament. The Union Urban Development Minister said the Chennai airport was shut and public transport heavily affected. "People have left their homes, power supply has been halted as a precautionary measure and schools closed... it is not a good situation. The government is making all possible effort to provide help to the poor and the middle class... I appreciate that the residents of Chennai are helping each other," he said. Rains abated in Chennai on Thursday giving relief to people tormented by the heavy downpour of the last three days but excessive discharge of water last night from Chembarambakkam lake on the outskirts flooded new areas of the city threatening to uproot people from their homes. The fresh flooding of the streets in the heart of the city in areas like Kodambakkam and T. Nagar and Ashok Nagar has been caused by the release of an estimated 30,000 cusecs of water from the Chembarambakkam lake, one of city's source of drinking water. For the first time in over 40 years, water has risen rapidly on the Adyar river breaching the road and the Maraimalai Adigal bridge in Saidapet. Water has cut off the arterial Anna Salai Road, rendering it out of bounds for motorists. India's main monsoon season runs from June through September, but the period between October to December -- also called the retreating monsoon -- brings the most rainfall to southeastern coastal areas. The extreme weather in Chennai comes as heads of state are meeting in Paris to try and work out a new treaty to limit global warming and deal with its effects. However, experts say the floods in the city are most directly linked to the El Nino weather pattern, when the waters of the Pacific Ocean get warmer than usual. "This year saw the strongest El Nino ever recorded," said G.P. Sharma, vice president of meteorology at Skymet, a private weather forecaster. He said that was indicative of an extremely heavy retreating monsoon. El Nino is one of the factors India's government-run Met office takes into account while forecasting the monsoon. This year, India had a weaker than usual summer monsoon, as it does in an El Nino year. Source: The Asian Age. Chennai floods: Navy throws a lifeline; brings 3 ships and 300 tonnes of food: Amit S. Upadhye, Chennai: Naval personnel dive into waterlogged streets to pull people to safety. Chennai: With three Indian Navy warships - INS Airavat, INS Shakti and INS Sahyadri - docking at Chennai port loaded with rescue and relief material, the Indian Navy has rolled out one of the largest rescue operations in Chennai since the Tsunami tragedy of 2004, even as waters that had started to recede rose again after a new cloudburst sent residents running for shelter under trees and in shop-fronts. Parts of the flat, coastal city remained under up to eight feet (2.5 meters) of water for a fourth consecutive day. IAF rescue helicopters were grounded briefly on Friday by renewed rains that spread fear in the flood-struck city of Chennai, while the death of 14 patients in the ICU at a private hospital added to the official toll of 280 confirmed killed in the disaster. Rear Admiral Alok Bhatnagar, Flag Officer, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Naval Area said the city of Chennai is witnessing the largest rescue operations post Tsunami. All the three warships sailed from the Eastern Naval Base at Visakhapatnam with each carrying close to 100 tonnes of relief material. The Navy sent its team from INS Airawat to six flood affected areas in and around Chennai. Velicherry being the worst hit, the Naval commandos began rescuing people marooned 
Army personnel rescue a woman from a flooded locality in rain-hit Chennai (Photo: PTI)
inside their homes. The ships, equipped with small boats and life rafts came in useful while rescuing flood affected people to the safety. Most Naval personnel who took part in rescue ops were good swimmers which helped them to plunge fearlessly into neck-deep water to pull people to safety. Naval personnel tied long ropes to the houses and the raft to ensure people walked to safety holding on to the ropes. "The rafts and Gemini boats which can carry six to ten people at a time are mostly being used in the places where the rescue is required. Many people locked their homes and came on board the rafts. As the rains were receding the water levels were coming down, however the levels may go up during Saturday's rescue as it's been raining since post afternoon. Our teams will be once again deployed in the affected areas towards the morning hours," said a spokesperson from the Indian Navy. “Naval ships are often used in rescue ops and during Tsunami the Navy not only helped people from India, but also reached till Indonesia to provide rescue and relief. The ships have now arrived and the men are ready to move for rescue and relief,” the Rear Admiral said. Source: The Asian Age. Tech companies step in to provide relief to rain-hit Chennai: Many tech companies have launched efforts to help citizens hit by the unprecedented floods in Chennai. Ola was the first to pitch in with the first of its kind initiative offering a boat service to help the rain victims. The company explained on Twitter that it had been "ferrying people out from water-logged areas" in the city after the water logged city streets became inaccessible to vehicular traffic. The online food delivery portal, Zomato launched a delivery service for people both from the city and outside to buy food for anyone who was in need and had it delivered to them. It is called the 'Meal for Flood relief' delivery service which offers two meal plans, meal for two priced at Rs100 and meal for four priced at Rs400. The delivery time for both meals is half an hour and for every meal ordered, Zomato also offers one for free.
victims: Bihar CM also attributed the natural disaster in Tamil Nadu to climate change Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday sent Rs five crore to Tamil Nadu for relief and rehabilitation work in the southern state battered by incessant rains. Kumar sent a cheque of Rs five crore to his Tamil Nadu counterpart Jayalalithaa from the Chief Minister's Relief fund for relief and rehabilitation of victims of the rains, an official statement said here. Kumar expressed deep sorrow over loss of lives and property due to the rains in Tamil Nadu. "People of Bihar is with citizens of TN in this hour of sorrow," he said adding Bihar has been battling natural calamity like flood every year. In a letter to Jayalalithaa, the Bihar CM expressed confidence that the southern state would overcome the grief in her able guidance and leadership. Kumar had yesterday attributed the natural disaster in TN to climate change. His deputy Tejaswi Yadav also came out in support of the victims of Tamil Nadu rains and announced to donate his first month's salary for relief work in the southern state. Source: Article. Tamil Nadu rains: NDRF doubles strength.jpg)
Paytm - one of India's largest mobile commerce platforms - too had launched an initiative 'Stay Safe' under which the company would give free talktime of worth Rs30 to any mobile number in the state. According to the company's blog, "If you would like to recharge anyone's mobile number so that they can remain connected during this tough time, please call us at 18001030033 and share the mobile number. We will recharge it with Rs30 worth of talk-time, free of cost". The e-commerce portal further said that people around the country had come forward to offer help through company's initiative - #staycharged. Meanwhile, telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone, were struggling to keep their services going amid unprecedented rainfall in Chennai and surrounding areas. According to a statement issued on Thursday by the GSM industry body association COAI, the floods had caused severe damage to telecom infrastructure. "Unavailability of grid power, water-logging resulting in submerged sites and unavailability of diesel in the absence of transportation have emerged as severe roadblocks towards network operations in the affected areas," the statement said. Operators were further facing problems in certain areas in restoring operations due to non-accessibility by road in affected areas/sites. "The industry has requested assistance urgently from the government for restoration of grid power, availability of diesel and opening up of road access to flooded areas," the industry body said. Telcos are also doing their bit to help citizens, offering freebies to their subscribers in the region. Aircel has rolled out free 10 minutes Aircel to Aircel calls across India to all its Chennai customers for the next three days. Bharti Airtel is offering 'Talk Time' credit up to Rs30 for all Airtel pre-paid mobile customers, while Idea Cellular had started crediting 10 local mobile minutes and 50 MB of 2G data in the prepaid accounts of 1.95 million customers in the five affected districts of Chennai. Source: Article. Nitish Kumar sends Rs 5 crore for Tamil Nadu flood
 
People rescued from their Waterlogged houses during heavy rains in Chennai (Photo: PTI)
of rescue teams to 1,200. NDRF has rescued about 2,400 affected people till now: New Delhi: NDRF teams have doubled the number of their rescuers in the rain and flood-battered Chennai and adjoining areas to 1,200, even as the force on Thursday decided to penetrate deep into the affected areas to aid the marooned. A meeting of the Crisis Management Group was held this morning here under the Chairmanship of Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi along with officials of Ministries of Defence, Food, Railways, Agriculture, Health, Department of Telecommunication, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). "We have 30 teams, each having 40 members, working in these areas now and we plan to concentrate in the areas of south Chennai which are the worst affected. The meeting
took stock of the preparedness of various agencies," NDRF Chief O P Singh said after the meeting held at North Block. He said the force has deployed about 110 inflatable and other kinds of boats and separate assortment of buoys and life jackets with the rescue and relief teams so that the needy and the marooned get help. The meeting also decided to move two additional columns of the army in these areas even as officials of these central departments were asked to keep in constant touch with their Tamil Nadu counterparts. One column of the army comprises around 75 personnel. Singh said NDRF has rescued about 2,400 affected people till now. "We are hopeful of getting into more and more areas today as the rains have slowed down since yesterday and we have seen water receding in many areas. We are hopeful of doing more than what we did yesterday," he said. The force has also deployed 2 teams, out of the 30, in Puducherry while another set of NDRF teams are on standby at Patna and Pune which can be airlifted at short notice, he said. Source: The Asian Age, Rain fury leaves Chennai marooned: Though the heavy rains that lashed the city and the suburbs and neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Cuddalore for more than a day on Tuesday have shown a let up since this morning, a continuous drizzle under 
Indian Coast Guard officials rescue stranded people in Chennai. Photograph: Indian Coast Guard
overcast skies spelled further trouble for citizens. Teams of army, navy, coast guard and National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the worst-affected areas of Tambaram, the southern gateway to the city, Mudichur and Oorapakkam. Police and fire service personnel were also involved in rescue operations. The Coast Guard has deployed its boats in some areas in the city that has witnessed unprecedented rains in a short period of time in recent memory. DG MeT Department Laxman Singh Rathore said, “Extremely heavy rainfall has been occurring for sometime and today Tamil Nadu has witnessed 35 cm of rainfall that has created havoc. “Its intensity, however, will decrease in the next 48 hours and further by 72 hours but it is likely to continue for
The heavy rains has left the airport in Chennai in a mess with water filling up in the airfield. Officials have suspended all flights till 6 am Thursday. Photograph: @WachterOriental
five-seven days,” he said. Teams have also been pressed into service in Jafarkhanpet, Saidapet and Kotturpuram on the banks of Adyar and Vadapalani and Valasaravakkam and several areas in the western parts of the city which have been flooded with waters entering residential homes. The southern suburbs of Chennai including Velachery, Madipakkam and neighbouring areas which had suffered heavily in the earlier spells of rain in November were again hit badly by the downpour that has again flooded homes.
 The weather department has warned that heavy rains will continue to lash the city for the next 48 hours. Photograph: @harikiranroyal/Twitter
The Grand Southern Trunk road connecting Chennai with Madurai and beyond, the old Mahabalipuram road and the East Coastal road through which Chennai can be accessed have been cut off with waters washing away the roads in several places including Guduvancheri. While travellers from southern districts have been stranded midway, a number of passengers were also left helpless in Chennai Central and Egmore stations. Suburban railway services in Chennai have also been suspended
Airport officials have been trying to pump out the water from the airport since Tuesday night so that flights can resume. Photograph: @WachterOriental
because of flooding of tracks. The flooding of the city and the suburbs has been caused essentially by the surplusing of waters from the reservoirs like Chembarambakkam, Poondi and Puzhal into Adyar and Cooum that criss-cross the city flooding several areas along the banks and displacing people from homes. An unprecedented 30,000 cusecs of water has been released from the Chembarambakkam lake as the reservoir has been getting heavy supplies from the rain in catchment areas. Electricity has been cut off in most parts of the city as a precautionary measure while people went without
Patients being shifted from a flooded hospital after heavy rains in Chennai. Photograph: PTI, Air Force helicopters were seen distributing food packets in some of the worst-hit areas.
essential supplies like milk and water. The Southern Railways cancelled 16 trains and diverted 12 others both on the Chennai Central and Egmore sections following breaching of tracks in several areas. The airport, whose runway, tarmac and apron areas have been flooded with rainwater, has been shut down till 6 am Thursday. Operations were suspended at the airport on Tuesday night itself. Flights to Chennai have been diverted to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. In view of the water logging, Chennai Airport authorities have shut operations till 6 am Thursday. All airlines have cancelled their operations from Chennai airport where stranded passengers have been having a horrid time. The spokesperson said Chennai airport authorities had initially shut operations till Wednesday morning but due to incessant rains it has now decided to
A man wades through knee-deep water in Chennai. This is the second time in three weeks that Tamil Nadu has received heavy rains, which is now being described as the worst rain in nearly 100 years. Photograph: PTI
extend it till 6 am Thursday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in Delhi that in view of the situation, the Centre has deployed army, navy and NDRF teams in sufficient numbers. “The prime minister has issued a memorandum and we have deployed our Central team there to assess the situation and make a report so that every possible
The situation in Puduchherry is also worsening with streets water-logged owing to the heavy rains. Photograph: PTI
help can also reach there,” Singh said. 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 has also been deployed to assist in the operations. “More army personnel are coming to Chennai from Bengaluru,” a Defence Public Relations official said. Navy personnel have been deployed in Sadiapet area of Chennai to rescue people marooned in low-lying areas.
The NDRF is airlifting another 15 teams to the rain-battered state. While 10 teams are being airlifted from Bhubaneshwar to Tirupati, another five teams are being lifted from Delhi, NDRF DG O P Singh said. Each team comprises 40 personnel. The teams are also carrying 20 inflatable boats along with them for the rescue operations.    
The floods in Tamil Nadu be considered as a 'national calamity',
Andhra Pradesh for rains, floods: New Delhi: Members in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday made strong plea for all possible help and assistance to Tamil Nadu, battered by unprecedented rains, as it discussed the flood situation in various parts of the country. They said that Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai and the adjoining districts, and parts of Andhra Pradesh were witnessing the fury of the northeastern monsoon and needed all efforts for rescue, relief and rehabilitation. Expressing concern over the situation, T G Venkatesh Babu (AIADMK) urged the Centre to immediately release funds to carry out relief works in flood-affected areas of Tamil Nadu on a war-footing. Insisting that the flood situation in Tamil Nadu should be considered as a "national calamity", he said that the Centre should give funds to the state which has sought over Rs 8,480 crore towards relief works from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the central forces for their immediate response towards the enormous relief works. Sharing the concern, Sudip Bandhyopadhyay (TMC) said that West Bengal had witnessed both floods and drought in different parts of the state and should be helped along with Tamil Nadu. He said the Mamata Banerjee government has sought Rs 6,000 crore from the Centre to tackle the situation. "Chief Ministers are representatives of people and therefore the financial assistance sought by them should be taken on priority", he said. Source: The Asian Age, Narendra Modi takes stock of flood situation in Tamil Nadu,
People move from their waterlogged houses with the help of Indian Army teams following heavy rains in Chennai (Photo: PTI)
assures support: Modi spoke to Jayalalithaa and promised her all possible cooperation from Centre New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took stock of the flood situation in Tamil Nadu and discussed it with his cabinet colleagues, including the Home and Finance Ministers. "I want to inform the House that today morning the Prime Minister met the Home Minister, Finance Minister and myself discussed the flood conditions in Tamil Nadu. We exchanged information on the situation," Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said in the Lok Sabha. Modi on Tuesday spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and assured her all possible support and cooperation from the Centre, he said. Naidu further said that Singh would chair a high-level meeting to ensure relief to the people of Tamil Nadu. "The Home Minister is going to hold a high-level meeting... They are trying to coordinate with various agencies on relief operations. 400
 passengers are stranded... NDRF team is there," Naidu said. Most areas of Chennai have been inundated after heavy rains lashed the state, severely disrupting flights, train and bus services and forcing postponement of half-yearly school exams. The death toll in rain-related incidents touched 188. Tamil Nadu rains: Rahul Gandhi calls for relief and rescue operations at the earliest Naidu said a discussion in the House on the situation arising out of heavy rains in different parts of India, including Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal too, will give "confidence" to the people affected by floods in Tamil Nadu. "I have alerted the Civil Aviation Ministry to send food for the relief camps. Since the runway is full of water, we have to send food and other basic amenities to the people stranded there," Naidu said. On a personal note, he said his daughter and grand daughter have sent to him pictures of Chennai and he is "moved by plight of ordinary people there". The flood is the worst in 100 years and was unprecedented and unheard of. "It is time for Parliament to convey to people that be confident. It is not time to criticise the Government. Navy, army, NDRF have been pressed into action and if there is need for any further support that too will be sent,"  Naidu said. Meanwhile, Army and Air Force were involved in rescue work and distribution of food packets at suburban Tambaram and Oorapakkam, ships of the Navy and Coast Guard were on standby, officials said. Expert Naval divers and inflatable boats were deployed at Adyar and Kotturpuram areas to help marooned citizens. Alok Bhatnagar, Naval officer in charge, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, said ships, INS Airawat and other amphibian vessels would arrive here tonight. The Navy was also ready with medical supplies, he said. Seven boats had already been deployed for rescue work, while shelters were ready to accommodate 200 people. Though a let-up early morning gave hope for residents and rescue agencies, rain water showed little signs of receding even as the Adyar river continued to swell following discharge of excess water from Chembarambakkam reservoir as well as yesterday's torrential downpour. Source: The Asian Age, Rains, floods devastate Chennai, army rescues people: Chennai: Life in the Tamil Nadu capital was virtually crippled on Wednesday as fresh downpour worsened an already disastrous flood situation, posing danger to thousands in low-lying areas. Soldiers joined the rescue and relief work and rescued 65 men and women till Wednesday afternoon, officials said, adding that more troops were on their way to Chennai from Bengaluru. Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said in New Delhi that the situation in Chennai was "unheard of and unprecedented", and promised all help to the beleaguered city and other area. Residents and officials admitted that almost everyone in Chennai, a sprawling city with over 4.6 million people, had been affected one way or the other by the devastating floods caused by torrential rains. Thousands of passengers were stranded at the now shut Chennai airport and the railway stations. Electricity supply snapped in many areas. Telephone services too were hit. With schools and colleges shut, and vast areas under sheets of water, most buses went off the roads and suburban train .jpg) services were suspended after waters flooded the tracks. Auto-rickshaws and taxis plied in some parts of Chennai but fleeced commuters. A taxi driver reportedly charged Rs.4,500 to ferry three people from the airport to a hotel on Anna Salai, the main arterial road. Several parts of Anna Salai were under water. Steady rains through Tuesday night -- it continued to drizzle on Wednesday -- kept people in Chennai awake due to concerns over the rising water levels, residents said. Unlike in the past, even up-market localities like Shastri Nagar, Anna Nagar, Alwarpet and Mylapore were flooded. Schools and colleges have been shut for over 15 days. Schools in Chennai functioned only for two days last week before the rains hit again. Hutments along the Adyar river bank have submerged till their roofs. With the river overflowing, traffic over the Adayar bridge near Saidapet was closed for safety. Surplus water from Poondi reservoir, which supplies water to Chennai, was released, causing more misery. Water level in the Chembarambakkam, Puzhal and Sholavaram reservoirs have also touched the danger mark. The Southern Railway cancelled 13 trains out of Egmore station and four trains from Chennai Central. Ten trains from other stations too were axed. But some still dared to conduct weddings. "Today is an auspicious day for marriages. In our hall a wedding was conducted as planned," K.M. Kannan, manager of the AVM Rajeshwari Kalyana Mandapam in south Chennai, told IANS. But Kannan added: "I have sent my family to Erode as water was threatening to enter our house. There has been no power supply in our area since yesterday." Several private establishments have declared a holiday. Some government offices were closed on Wednesday. The Hindu and Business Standard newspapers did not come out on Wednesday due to heavy rains, said an employee of one of the dailies. Police blocked the wide stretch of Chennai beach as a precaution. According to officials, the Chennai airport has been shut till Thursday morning and all flights have been cancelled after the runway got flooded. "Water entered our apartment and we had to shift to our neighbour's house on the first floor," Revathi Vasan, a resident of west Mambalam in the heart of Chennai, told IANS. "Another family on the ground floor has also shifted with us," she said. "There is waist deep water around our apartment." In suburban areas, flooding was severe with water levels covering ground floors and threatening to enter the first floors of housing apartments. Fortunately, people living at higher levels were opening their doors to strangers, several residents told IANS. Movie theatres and malls too came to the rescue of the flood-affected. Major markets like in Anna Nagar could not escape the .jpg) flooding. In many areas, people made makeshift boats by tying up empty barrels to reach safer places. Hotels were swamped by frantic calls from residents and visitors for accommodation. Suresh, who works with a private company, said: "In my area (Villivakkam), the water has reached chest level. I waded through rain water for a couple of kilometres to reach my work place." The unprecedented rains, the worst in 100 years, have battered Tamil Nadu's northern districts such as Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Cuddalore. In the last spell of rains, around 180 people died in the four districts. Source: ummid.com Chennai floods more of man's making than natural, say reports: Environment minister Prakash Javadekar was not entirely off the mark when he said the havoc that untimely rains brought to Chennai cannot be linked to climate change. While climate change would have brought untimely rains the flood that resulted was more of man's making, they say. Almost the whole of Chennai city is flooded while the low-lying area between Velachery and Sholinganalur is especially badly affected by the heavy rains. This has only exposed the city's flawed urban planning and illegal constructions and the undermining of its natural waterways, say reports. The heavy downpour, the worst in several decades, forced authorities to release 30,000 cusecs of water from the Chembarambakkam reservoir into the Adyar River over two days, causing it to flood its banks and submerge neighbourhoods on both sides. The water did not flow as expected as the Adyar's stream is not very deep or wide, and its banks have been heavily encroached  upon over the years. This is something similar to what happened in Mumbai and its suburbs in the 2005, as the Mithi river that used to carry the city's waste water to the sea failed to flow after it got clogged and blocked on its way. In Puducherri also a similar thing happened - the Cooum River that winds its way through the city got flodded by water released from the Puzhal reservoirs. While the state government and the centre blame nature for the calamity, they conveniently forget the failure of the administration that allowed mindless construction to go on in the name of development – the damage during the monsoon was ''inevitable.'' The drainage system, especially, storm water drains, that is particularly important in a city, has conveniently been given a go by the authorities, this led to the foiling of low lying areas and this has played a major role in the flooding of Chennai city. Planning officials say the underground drains got clogged and failed to evacuate water. This may be true, but that cannot be an excuse. The unclogging of drains is also the duty of the authorities. Or they should find fool-proof alternatives. Reports quoting experts at Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) said the key parameter of rain intensity measure - which ought to be at least 1 inch per hour - has been ignored while planning multicrore drainage projects. While storm water drains are supposed to be planned on the basis of detailed topographical data, their linkage with water bodies, construction along their course, and the design of roads have rarely been seen as part of a whole. As a result, drains constructed over the past decade have repeatedly proved inefficacious - and showed up problems of poor urban planning nearly every monsoon. Planning officials said contractors are rarely briefed on the topography or the flood character of sites. A top civic official said even the water log data of the last 10 years are often not considered as officials ''hurry to complete works'' before the allocated funds lapse. Also, another expert was quoted as saying that mandatory standards based on data on sea level and water flows have not been followed, resulting in situations like Koyambedu, the neighbourhood that saw expensive storm water drain projects, but has still gone under. Un top of it, illegal construction has taken over areas that have been a tank, lake, canal or river 20 years ago, making neighbourhoods unrecognisable. A report submitted by CMDA to the Madras High Court puts illegal structures in and around Chennai at 1.5 lakh, and despite several HC orders and after appeals to the Supreme Court for their demolition, the buildings stand.- Source: Article Remark: Copy images url and paste to find it’s source of sharing, also get connect with each source of sharing articles via specified links. Our Sites unique and other links (if there will be any) are available just for the requirement of the subject not for increasing circulations, as we are not in the promotion of any kind its all for very special issues, personalities etc. |
eBook: "Tamil Nadu Rain Crisis"
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