The intermittent heavy rains since Tuesday inundated several parts of Chennai, including residential areas and arterial roads, due to Cyclone Nivar. Chennai has received an average rainfall of over 127 millimetres and the weathermen have predicted that the city will receive another 100 mm of rainfall by Wednesday night. Cyclone Nivar is set to make landfall on Wednesday midnight between Mamallapuram and Karaikal near the Union Territory of Puducherry.
Areas such as Egmore, Kilpauk, Vepery, Choolai, Chennai Central, Vadapalani, Choolaimedu, Velachery, Adyar, Adambakkam, Kottupuram, Chitlapakkam and parts of Tambaram have experienced water logging in arterial roads. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said, “The areas that have been flooded due to the ongoing rains along the water channels and canals of Adyar, Velachery and Mambalam are swiftly being cleared through the use of high power equipment.”
The Adyar river has started to swell as water from the Chembarambakkam reservoir has been released. At 12 pm, the Public Works Department released 1,000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from Chembarambakkam Lake since the inflow increased due to the continuous rainfall. Residents living near the banks of Adyar river and residents of Tambaram, Mudichur, Kundrathur were advised to stay alert.
Adyar river flow near Kishkintha/West Tambaram/Mudichur #ChennaiRains #chennairain pic.twitter.com/fnsgEvZD2J
— Syed Ibrahim Shah Jalal (@UltimatePhantom) November 16, 2020
Many streets of Velachery are experiencing waterlogging and the cars have been parked on the Velachery Bridge to avoid any damages. Karthik Raja, a resident of Srinagar Colony in Velachery, said that drainage water mixed with rainwater inundated their residential areas. “Our roads are filled with drainage water. So I request the Chennai Corporation to start draining the water with help of pumps.”
Many electricity poles at Velachery and Tambaram areas were also uprooted in the rains.
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Similarly, faulty drainage systems also inundated a few streets of Chitlapakkam. Pradeep Avenue in Chitlapakkam is inundated due to a faulty drainage outlet. A resident of Chitlapakkam said, “The water is entering our homes without getting drained since our homes are located at the end of a low-lying street. The constructed drainage was also left unfinished without giving a proper connection. As a result, we are experiencing floods like the one in 2018.”
In Adampakkam, plastic wastes clogged the stormwater drains. Srini Swaminathan, a resident in the area, said, “Due to the speed breakers built between streets, my area has become like a dam. The only way for water to drain out is to let it overflow. I also had to clear the plastic trash and debris to let the water drain. I have been asking the Chennai Corporation for many months to clear the trash from this street.”
Due to these speed breaker like ramps built between streets, two streets in my area have become like dams. Only way for water to drain is to overflow. No common sense at all pic.twitter.com/YMYgmNDoei
— Srini Swaminathan (@srini091) November 25, 2020
The Chennai beaches, including Kasimedu beach, Marina beach, Mahabalipuram beach and Kalpakkam beach, have been experiencing heavy tides with rough weather. Many homes experienced flooding near Kasimedu and Mamallapuram shoreline due to the heavy rains.