“Tamil Nadu’s weather is under observation for the next 72 hours as the rain in the next 48 hours is going to be comparatively heavy”, said a statement issued jointly by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency. But with them being closed, we’ll only be seeing more and more rainfall like this happening in the future.
Advertisement
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.
“We have suspended three shifts, one last night and two shifts for today, at our plant due to the rain”, a Hyundai Motor India Ltd official told PTI. It predicted “scattered heavy to isolated very heavy rainfall over coastal districts”, and “isolated extremely heavy rainfall” during the rest of the week for Chennai. “Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar refused to link the rain-ravaged situation in Tamil Nadu directly to climate change, saying it was natural calamity”.
In view of the water logging, Chennai Airport authorities have shut operations till 6 am on Thursday. “Some urban areas are totally flooded”, said S.P Selvan, deputy inspector general of the National Disaster Response Force.
About 700 people are stranded at the Chennai airport.
“INS Rajali and INS Parandu, our naval air stations, have put their helicopters and remotely piloted aircraft ready for operations in support of our relief operations that we are doing here in Chennai”.
The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal conveyed his deepest sympathies for the loss of life and property saying that his heart goes out to the people of Tamil Nadu in this hour of crisis.
Television footage showed flood-hit residents wading through waist-deep water, many carrying belongings on their heads or in small boats.
Advertisement
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.
