More rains forecast for flood-hit southern India

Terming the situation in flood-hit Chennai as “very alarming”, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said in the Lok Sabha that the Centre will extend all possible assistance to the state governments in dealing with natural calamities.

Anticipating more rains and non-availability of the vegetables, and other food supplies, Chennai residents were crowded at the markets to buy in large amounts. Milk, food and medicines have become impossible to procure with most shops submerged and this has added to woes of the populace. “The Poonamalli High Road is flooded and I had to procure the materials at 4 am”, said Mushtaq.

More than 200 people have received critical injuries over the past 24 hours in Chennai, a senior home ministry official said.

Weather experts had warned late last month the remnants of Typhoon Marilyn, which had formed near the Philippines, could turn into a tropical depression and bring heavy rains to India’s east coast and compound the effects of the seasonal monsoon.

Mr Rathore said the region is “super-saturated” with water, with rain in catchments flowing down to the sea along the rivers, causing the floods in Chennai.

The Adyar river that passes through the city is overflowing as surplus water from Chembarambakkam lake is being let into the river.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Chennai to take stock of the situation arising due to the devastating floods.

An aerial view of Chennai shows low lying neighborhoods as well the city’s airport nearly completely submerged.

The Chennai Airport, where the operational area was under seven feet of water yesterday, was closed for traffic on Tuesday evening and will remain shut till December 6, and efforts were being made to send the passengers stranded there to Bangalore by road or to Chennai city.

Dozens of trains have been delayed or cancelled, while the heavily flooded Chennai central station had to shut down operations. Singh said that railways officials convened an emergency meeting to get the station back on track quickly.

Hundreds of army, navy, police and fire department rescuers helped evacuate people trapped in their homes.

The state government cut power to several parts of Chennai as a safety measure to prevent electrocutions.

The death toll in rain-related incidents touched 188 on Wednesday.

Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said in New Delhi that the situation was “unheard of and unprecedented”, and promised all help to the beleaguered city and other areas.

“This year saw the strongest El Nino ever recorded”, said G.P. Sharma, vice-president of meteorology at Skymet, a private weather forecaster.

“The city has come to a virtual standstill and is in the grip of fear and panic”, Assocham said in a statement on Thursday, urging the federal government to “immediately” handle this “extreme crisis” with a suitable package.