Heavy rain batters Chennai; airport shut till Dec 6; rail, road traffic hit

Chennai, December 2

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Rain-ravaged Chennai was today crawling with air and road traffic severely hit as Army, Navy and NDRF teams stepped up rescue operations in worst-hit localities of the city that is also witnessing power outages.

The non-stop torrential rain pounding the city since last night showed some let-up in the morning but inundated streets left commuters stranded.

“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 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.

NDRF DIG and commanding officer have been stationed in Chennai to take stock of the operations, he said.

Singh said he is also in constant touch with the Relief Commissioner of Tamil Nadu.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said more forces will be deployed to tackle the situation.

“However, we are facing difficulty in bringing them (forces) there as the airport is also not operating,” he said.

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

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 released flooding the downstream areas. These areas had already suffered heavily during the earlier spells of rain.

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

Even in hitherto unaffected areas, people have 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.

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 five-seven days,” he said.

DMK MP Kanimozhi demanded that the Centre should declare it as a national disaster as it is not only Chennai that is affected but also coastal areas of Tamil Nadu.

“The rain is unrelenting and more rain has been predicted in another few more days. I really don’t understand how state government can handle the situation. We need more resources, more help and everything has to be rushed quickly.

“We need whatever support Centre can give to the state government,” she said.

Flights hit, 1,500 stranded fliers evacuated from Chennai airport

Some 1,500 passengers were stranded at the Chennai international airport on Wednesday after it closed for operations.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) said all the stranded passengers are being moved out of the airport, but did not reveal the exact number of those evacuated so far.

The Chennai airport will remain shut till December 6. A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) has been issued by AAI, which manages the airport, to all air operators to suspend flight operations. 

NOTAM is a communication that informs pilots about potential risks to flight safety.

Around 1,500 passengers and 2,000 others working at the airport were stranded there in the morning, AAI Chairman R K Srivastava said. Evacuation is expected to be completed by Wednesday evening.

“AAI has arranged six buses to evacuate the passengers from the airport," Srivastava said in New Delhi.

"The runway is flooded but the terminal building is safe," he added.

Chennai Airport authorities had initially shut operations until this morning but extended it following incessant rains.

Nearly 35-37 aircraft, mostly of domestic airliners, have been grounded at the airport.

The AAI will review the situation on Thursday, Srivastava said.

"A lot of things (sic) are stranded at the airport. So the chairman of Airport Authority has tried to develop a plan to make available some essential material like drinking water, and food...staff is also trying. Everything is paralysed," Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju, adding that operations could resume only after floodwaters receded.  

Meanwhile, Spicejet has cancelled all its flights till tomorrow, while Jet Airways has cancelled all its flights to and from Chennai for today.

Budget carrier IndiGo has announced cancellation of all flights from Chennai.

“Due to heavy rain causing water logging on the Chennai runway, all the inbound and outbound flights to and fro Chennai have been cancelled,” Indigo tweeted — PTI