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 areas.
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The Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the National Disaster Response Force are out on the streets to rescue people from their flooded homes. Airport officials said one flight, which had left Colombo this morning, returned.
Chennai, India’s fourth most populous city, is a major auto manufacturing and IT outsourcing hub.
Heavy rain is known to have resulted in the deaths of at least 188 people in Tamil Nadu since the start of November.
Chennai is drenched in record breaking rains, it has been termed as the heaviest in over 100 years.
“The intensity of rains might lessen after 72 hours but the it will continue to rain for about a week more”, IMD Director General LS Rathore said on Wednesday.
The Tamil Nadu government has announced holiday for schools and colleges while most of all the factories and offices too closed.
During the last spell of rains, around 180 people lost their lives in the four district of Chennai, Kanchipuram, Cuddalore and Thiruvallur.
People were also offering temporary shelters for those who were stranded in the heavy rains.
The IMD website said the city is going to experience “heavy rainfall” on Dec 3-4.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is now taking part in the Paris Climate Change Conference, blamed climate change for the torrential rains.
Weather Department predicted the rain-ravaged state will have no relief for another week and next three days will be critical.
She also disclosed that various ministers, including O Paneerselvam, have been deputed to take charge of the relief works in different districts.
A meeting in parliament regarding the floods in Chennai took place with top union ministers, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in attendance.
Rangasamy said he had also pleaded with them to release Rs 70 crore that was due under the relief decided for Puducherry when it was hit by “cyclone Thane” some years ago.
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Heavy rain in the catchment areas of the Chembarambakkam reservoir (25 centimetres between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Tuesday) forced the authorities to discharge water at the rate of 20,000 cubic feet per second into the Adyar river.
