Airports Authority of India to start limited operations from Chennai airport

The Rajali naval air station at Arakkonam, 70 km west of Chennai, is functioning as a makeshift airport. Both Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa and Indian PM Narendra Modi have made aerial visits to the flood-affected areas.

Scores of residents have formed groups to distribute aid – packets of food, bottled waters and even bed sheets – in worst-hit neighborhoods.

Emergency workers, including the Indian armed forces, rescued more than 120,000 people on Wednesday and Thursday and operations are still ongoing, K.S. Kandaswamy, deputy commissioner of Chennai Corporation, told CNN.

Most of the low lying areas in the city of Chennai are submerged and the water has not started receding. “20 more teams from various locations have been mobilized to Tamil Nadu and the total strength of the NDRF by tonight will reach a total of 50 rescue units”, NDRF General Director OP Singh stated.

It is foreseen that next week, Southern India will be at more risk for worsening floods brought over by a combination of a weak tropical low and moisture from the Bay of Bengal.

Some areas are still badly affected and remain cut off. Rescue teams are now focussing on these neighbourhoods while trying to get food and medicines to thousands of people who have been affected.

Floods that have killed 210 people in southern India began to recede on Thursday, giving rescue teams a chance to evacuate thousands of residents stranded by the heaviest cloudburst in the city of Chennai in over a century. The Chennai International Airport has been shut down till 6th of December with a high possibility that the lockdown could be extended if it continues raining.

Communication has been hard, especially for people overseas that are anxious about their family and friends at home. The Airports Authority of India has said that the airport would remain closed at least until Sunday.

Here are the 10 developments about the situations in Chennai city, after witnessing heavy rains since few days. Mobile and fixed phone networks have been sporadic.

Officials said that from a discharge of 30,000 cusecs of water from Chembarampakkam, one of the key sources of drinking water supply to Chennai city, it had come down to 13,000 cusecs on Thursday afternoon and 5,000 cusecs by Thursday night.