Roads flooded with rainwater, people walking in knee-deep water and cars looking like they have almost drowned have become almost normal scene to most Chennaites.
Chennai experienced about 14cm rainfall from Tuesday morning. And the forecast for the rest of the week looks bleak for the city and the whole of Tamil Nadu. Read full details of forecast here.
The University of Madras, Guindy Campus was flooded with rainwater on Tuesday. Rainwater also entered the ground-floor of the PG Hostel for women in the campus.
A student staying at the hostel said that whenever it rains, the water gets stagnated in the whole campus. “The rainwater entered our college hostel and we were shifted to the upper floors. Now, it is still better, last week it was worse”, she said.
“I think it is because of a new building of University of Madras that is being constructed which is stopping all the water in the campus from draining out,” said another student who is residing in the PG Hostel for women.
The conditions were similar at the Adyar Cancer Institute on the Gandhi Mandapam Road. The visitors at the cancer Institute could be seen walking in water-logged areas. Thyabaran, a relative of a patient from Kanyakumari said, “My brother-law is diagnosed with cancer and we came here for treatment in a car but now I cannot take out my car from this place. Travelling is the biggest problem now for us.”
Babu, Public Relations Officer of the Cancer Institute said, “All this water comes from Raj Bhavan in Velachery. There was water-logging two weeks back so we opened a small passage from our institute to the IIT campus so it is less water-logged now.”
The entrance of the Guindy National Park was also water-logged. Atmaram, Forest Officer said, “The rainwater will remain only for about an hour. It gets seeped into the drainage very soon.”
The Government Taluk Hospital in Tambaram was also flooded. Many infants and patients were moved out in boats from the hospital on Tuesday.
Travelling in Chennai has become the biggest problem for people in Chennai.
Ann Mercy, dentist at a clinic in Adyar said, “I waited for about an hour in this rain to get a bus to Velachery from Adyar.”
“I have to travel from Chrompet to Anna University everyday. If I start by 7AM from Chrompet, I reach by 11AM to Anna University. This is my job and if I do not come one day how will I feed my family?”, said Saroja, staff at Anna University.
“The poor people are the ones who suffer the most in these Chennai rains. Many a times, these bus drivers do not even stop at various bus stops in the city. I do not have the money to travel by auto or taxis if I do not get a bus. The Government must do something to help us out”, said Paneerselvam, a tea-stall worker.
A BBC weather report says, “Concerns over potential flooding as up to 500mm of rain may fall in next few days in areas around Chennai.”
INDIA: concerns over potential flooding as up to 500mm of rain may fall in next few days in areas around Chennai. PA pic.twitter.com/ymEC4Elyuc
— BBC Weather (@bbcweather) December 1, 2015