Tamil Nadu grinds to a halt: Army, Air Force join rescue operations after incessant rainfall

Chennai: The Army and Air Force have been deployed for rescuing stranded citizens in Kancheepuram district, where torrential rains have left residents marooned, even as rain water inundated a large part of suburban Tambaram locality.

There have been no fresh rains in the city on Tuesday. The city has been experiencing continuous rains since Saturday night with the spell reduced to a drizzle on Monday.

Personnel from the Madras 4 Regiment of the Indian Army have been pressed into service at Mudichur in Kacheepuram on the request of the district administration even as Air Force has conducted sorties to rescue citizens, defence officials said.

Surplus water from lakes and tanks at Mudichur entered the suburban Tambaram locality, inundating a large part, they said, adding, personnel from Army and IAF were now assisting the district administration in the rescue efforts.

IAF helicopters from the Air Force station at Tambaram carried out six sorties and evacuated 22 persons last night they said, adding, food packets and water were air dropped. The army was also now involved in the evacuation process, they added.

Citizens were also being evacuated from Kotturpuram and nearby areas in the city, as the discharge from Chembarambakkam lake had resulted in Adyar river running in spate.

As many as 71 deaths have been reported in various rain-related incidents, including electrocution and drowning, till Monday night.

With the monsoon fury causing flood and inundation in various parts of Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had announced Rs 500 crore towards relief and rehabilitation. Jayalalitha was quoted as saying by Economic Times that the administration was working ‘on a war footing’ to handle the situation. She was reported to have said that the north-east monsoon, instead of being spread out, came in one go, leading to the heavy downpour.

Normal life has been hit in Tamil Nadu as incessant rains led to inundation of large areas and authorities have shut down educational institutions. The weather office forecast heavy downpour in the next three days in the state, Puducherry and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

The combined water storage in the main reservoirs feeding Chennai–Poondi, Cholavaram, Redhills and Porur, was at 7,023 mcft, as against the total capacity of 11,057 mc ft. Last year on this day, it was just 2,973 mcft,data released by Chennai Metro Water and Sewerage Supply Board (CMWSB) said.

Earlier, the government rushed 11 teams comprising over 400 personnel of NDRF responders to conduct relief and rescue operations in rain-hit Tamil Nadu.

PTI