The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Rain plays havoc in the suburbs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 28, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Rain plays havoc in the suburbs

K. Manikandan

Families stranded as flood waters maroon several localities; water enters homes in several localities

SPILLING OVER: The `Pazhaya Tambaram' lake overflowing after the heavy rain. — Photo: A. Muralitharan

TAMBARAM: The heavy rain in the southern suburbs in the past two days has hit residents hard with families in several localities stranded and unable to move out of their houses with water levels continuing to rise.

Till 8.30 a.m. on Thursday, Tambaram recorded nearly 8 cm rain, officials at the Tambaram Taluk office said. They said no untoward incident was reported from anywhere, but they continued to receive several complaints of people getting stranded inside their houses. Some of the worst affected residential localities were in the Madipakkam and Keelkattalai areas where rain water inundated the low lying areas.

Awaiting help

Residents of Ram Nagar, Kubera Nagar and other places in Madipakkam were waiting anxiously for help. They were just unable to venture out of their houses, as chest-high water was gushing down the streets. At Tambaram, the `Pazhaya Tambaram' lake was filled to the brim and excess water flowing from it entered houses in the Irumbuliyur, Tambaram and Mudichur areas.

Motorists on the Grand Southern Trunk Road found it extremely difficult to travel. At many places, two-way traffic was maintained on one half of the road due to inundation. At Pallavaram, local body officials had to break open a portion of the centre median on the National Highway to enable water to flow from one side to the other.

Water enters hospital

Water entered the premises of the Chromepet Government Hospital and more than 200 patients on the ground floor were shifted to the first floor. There were reports of the several lakes getting breached. For instance, the Thaangal Eri at Pozhichalur developed breaches and water entered more than 100 houses and its inmates were accommodated in a marriage hall.

Several trees were uprooted on either side of the GST Road causing traffic hurdles. The Southern Railway operated only `skeletal' services and that too only between Tambaram and Kodambakkam. The trains were operated on the main lines meant for express trains in the afternoon. Many of trains from Tambaram and towards Kodambakkam were terminated at Pallavaram and turned back.

Many areas were plunged in darkness due to disruption in power supply.

According to officials of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, they turned off power supply as overhead cables snapped after trees fell on them. It would be restored gradually.

At many places, residents took the initiative and got together to minimise the damage caused by stagnation.

With many lakes filled to the brim, houses that had come up very close these water bodies bore the brunt as excess water entered wherever it found its way.

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