Chennai on its knees as floods wreak havoc

Battered and bruised by the monsoon rains, Chennai, which boasts of being the gateway to the South, was cut off from the rest of India, and the world, as train services were suspended and its airport was shut down.

As more localities went under water, citizens either moved to safer places or pleaded for help through WhatsApp groups, Twitter and Facebook. The situation became so dire that besides the National Disaster Response Force, the Army and the Navy were called in and Parliament discussed the crisis.

Most areas have been without electricity since Tuesday evening, though the respite from the rain on Wednesday saw power supply being restored in a few localities.

Educational institutions remained closed, public transport was minimal, most commercial and industrial establishments were shut, banks worked with skeletal staff and people stayed at home.

Production came to a standstill at the city’s numerous auto plants, with Ford India, Hyundai Motor India, Ashok Leyland, Renault-Nissan and BMW reporting nil or low attendance. Some of the companies said resumption of production would depend on the weather conditions. Work was also affected at a number of component suppliers.

The city’s difficulties were compounded as the authorities continued to release water from Chembarambakkam, one of the reservoirs meeting the city’s drinking water needs.

In turn, this resulted in the flooding of the Adyar river, which flows through Chennai and joins the Bay of Bengal. Two major bridges on arterial roads were closed for traffic as the Adyar raged. As a consequence, access to the southern parts of the city, which were among the worst affected, was restricted. The city’s other major river, the Cooum, was also in spate.

In the morning, when the rains eased residents rushed to stock up on essential items. But most were disappointed as shops had run out of stocks.

The State government has asked private companies to allow employees to take leave tomorrow and the day after or, as in the case of IT companies, to allow them to work from home.

Teams of fire and rescue personnel, eight battalions of police and two teams of National Disaster Response Force and Army personnel have been deployed in relief and rescue operations.

After receiving 30-40 cm of rainfall, the city and its suburbs in the North and the South were under hip-deep water, and boats were deployed in residential areas to rescue those marooned on rooftops.

SN Eisenhower, Chairman – Tamil Nadu Council, Confederation of Indian Industry, said the rains had hit the industries in and around Chennai quite hard. Apart from industrial areas, the flooding in the city has hit movement of people and materials.

Work across the manufacturing sector has been hit and with the roads damaged it could take up to a week for the supply chain to be restored.

CII is now concentrating on providing relief work.

Large industries in the Manali industrial belt to the north of Chennai have had to either fully or partly shut down and the production loss could hit ₹200 crore a day. Small-scale and micro industries, too, have been hit, with many industrial estates inundated.

A spokesperson at Chennai Petroleum Corporation, an IOC oil refinery, said it managed to sustain operations by retaining the staff already in the unit for previous shifts. It will review the situation and consider a partial shutdown.