Rain fury: Airport shut, Army assisting in rescue operations in Chennai

Chennai: Chennai and several coastal areas of the state were Wednesday marooned in flood waters following incessant heavy rains that pounded the city and the neighbouring districts cutting the state capital from rail and road links even as the airport was shutdown for the day.

Though the heavy rains that lashed the city and the suburbs and neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Cuddalore for more than a day yesterday have shown a let up since this morning, a continuous drizzle under overcast skies spelled further trouble for citizens.

Teams of army, navy, coast guard and NDRF 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 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.