Chennai: This year, Tamil Nadu is receiving more rain than it can take. After 72 hours of continuous rain, many districts across the state are completely under water. The worst affected is Trichy, where more than 50 villages are completely cut off due to flooding. More than 30 people are feared dead.
Dam walls have crashed in Madurai, Salem, and Karur districts. Water from lakes and reservoirs already full due to the previous spell of rains, was released into residential and industrial areas.
Road transport is completely out of question in these parts, and the highway between Tanjore and Trichy is flooded and traffic is at a standstill since there's no way to divert them.
Trains going via Trichy, Madurai, Salem, and Karur have been cancelled
for 36 hours.
Food packets are being dropped by air to stranded people in a few villages.
But apart from that, no rescue operation is underway.
The Met Department says the depression over the Bay of Bengal is moving towards the Arabian Sea, but heavy rains will continue for 48 hours.
Tamil Nadu capital Chennai, however, hasn't seen rain all day, and is doing ok.
Tiruchirapalli or Trichy is one of the worst affected districts.
Fifty villages have been flooded and are now cut off and major flooding has been reported from parts of the Karur district, Villu-puram and Salem.
People in these areas have been moved to temporary shelters and state authorities have started relief efforts and are in the process of arranging food packets and water for them.
Train services in the state have been severely affected. Many trains through Trichy have either been cancelled or delayed.
Several Chennai-bound trains are not running due to the rains.
The Madurai-Chennai Vaigai Express stands cancelled while the Madurai-Chennai Pandiyan Express is stranded.
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After battering Chennai and various districts of Tamil Nadu till late last night, there was some let up in the rains this morning, but the current spell caused road and rail breaches and the flooding of low-lying areas, affecting normal life in many parts.
The weather office, however, has forecast more widespread rains over the state and Pondicherry during the next 24 hours, saying yesterday's well marked low pressure continued to
persist over the Gulf of Mannar and adjoining south coastal Tamil Nadu.
The Southern Railways announced the cancellation of all Chennai-bound trains from southern districts scheduled to leave on Thursday along with three trains leaving the city,
following breaches on tracks at different places.
With the latest rains since Monday bringing in copious inflows, several dams, lakes and tanks in the state have
overflowed, with water entering residential colonies, forcing authorities to declare a holiday for schools and colleges in many districts, including Chennai.
Reports received from Salem, Coimbatore, Madurai, Cuddalore, Tiruchirappalli and Krishnagiri districts said heavy rains continued to lash many parts in the last 48 hours.
Production at the Neyveli Lignite Corporation was affected with rain waters entering the three mines, a
Cuddalore report quoting an NLC official said.
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In Chennai, low lying areas remained waterlogged, though the sun came out this morning.
Excess water was being released from the Chembarambakkam lake near here and the overflowing water had inundated
Nesapakkam locality. The Adayar river in the city was in spate, submerging a
causeway in the Alandur area, curtailng the movement of people.
The Poondi reservoir, one of the three dams which meets the city's drinking water requirement, surplussed for the
first time in nine years, officials said.
A Madurai report said due to a breach in Parasuramapatti Tank, water had inundated the entire Press Colony. Residents moved to higher ground as snakes and other reptiles came out.
There was no electricity in the area.
In Madurai district alone, more than 30 tanks had breached, flooding surrounding localities.
At Melur near Madurai, paddy crops of more than 1,000 acres lay submerged.
At Neyveli, NLC PRO Sridhar told reporters that excavation of lignite from the three mines had been affected.
As against the usual target of 80,000 tonnes, only 25,000 tonnes was produced yesterday.
The Chennai-Dindigul national higway had been breached at Veppur, 90 km from Cuddalore, and traffic diverted, he said. A report from Salem said the district was also being lashed by heavy rains since last two days.
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