This photograph
released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on December 2, 2015 shows
an aerial view of the submerged Chennai airport taken from an Indian
Air Force helicopter following heavy rains in the region. —AFP
Chennai, December 3
Millions struggled to cope with lack
of basic necessities on Thursday as floods caused by the heaviest rains in some
100 years kept Chennai under a sheet of water, leaving 269 people dead.
The Army, Navy and Air Force
continued to rescue people stranded across Chennai and supply food packets to
the marooned. Although the showers subsided on Thursday morning, heavy rains
have been forecast for the next two-three days.
As soldiers and navy personnel plied
boats on the streets of Chennai, rescuing scores, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
flew into the city to study the grim situation.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the
Lok Sabha that the situation in Chennai and other rain-battered districts of Tamil
Nadu was "alarming" and that at least 269 people have died in the
nature's fury.
He said 54 more people have been
killed in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and two in Puducherry.
"There are no two opinions that
the situation in Tamil Nadu is alarming. It is not an exaggeration to say that
Chennai has turned into an island," Rajnath Singh said.
He said all highways leading to
Chennai were closed.
Surinder Singh, a doctor from Delhi
who was stuck in Chennai, told IANS: "It looks like the entire city is
under one foot of water. In some places, the water level is more."
"There is nothing like normal
life in Chennai. Water overflowing from rivers and reservoirs has reached
almost every locality, including the posh areas. Everyone on the streets is
barefoot." People are perched on their apartment rooftops even in the
heart Chennai, anxiously awaiting help, residents who spoke to IANS said.
In several places, power supply and
communication lines were down, adding to the misery.
"I have had no drinking water
and milk since yesterday (Wednesday)," lawyer Elangovan told IANS from his
house in Adayar, located near a river by that name which is now overflowing.
The river, which flows through the
city, overflowed as surplus water from Chembarambakkam lake was let into it.
The worst hit were the poor, tens of
thousands of whom live in makeshift homes in low-lying areas.
Several hundred passengers remained
stranded at the railway stations, including the main Chennai Central. And with
the Chennai airport shut till December 6, stranded passengers tried to make
their way to Bengaluru and Madurai.
Banks advised customers to use ATMs
to take out cash as some branches would not open.
The flood waters have gone into
apartment blocks, shopping malls, markets, government offices and private
establishments almost uniformally across the city barring some quarters.
There was some respite as the rains
abated late Wednesday until Thursday morning. But there was no sign of the
water level receding. And it started to drizzle again on Thursday.
Rajnath Singh said 30 teams of the
National Disaster Response Force and seven columns of the army were engaged in
relief and rescue work. The navy has deployed boats and divers.
He said the central government would
provide all necessary assistance sought by the Tamil Nadu government.
The Tamil Nadu government has sought
Rs 8,480.93 crore and Rs.940 crore has been released.
The Indian Air Force flew 200 people
to Hyderabad.
The Southern Railways on Thursday
cancelled 20 trains out of Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore stations and
seven trains from other stations.
People in many areas have opened up
their homes to affected people. Some distributed food to those marooned and hit
by the floods of the past four days.
Chennai
has been battling heavy rains since early November due to a low pressure area
over southwest Bay of Bengal. —IANS
