Heavy rains bring Chennai to a halt; schools, colleges remain closed

Reports said a 38-year-old man was killed in Thinnaiyoor near Thanjavur district in Chennai after the mud wall of his hut collapsed due to the heavy rains on Monday.

Rains eased in Chennai on Tuesday but the Tamil Nadu capital saw traffic snarls amid waterlogging and flooding of low-lying areas after heavy showers lashed different parts of the city and coastal areas of the southern state on Monday.

People ride their bikes through a waterlogged service road near Marina beach in Chennai on Monday. (PTI)

Authorities closed schools and colleges in Chennai and adjoining areas of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur as a precautionary measure. Power outages were reported from different parts of Chennai amid a drizzle and light rain scattered across India’s fourth most populous city on Tuesday morning.

Reports said a 38-year-old man was killed in Thinnaiyoor near Thanjavur district’s Orathanadu after the mud wall of his hut collapsed due to the heavy rains on Monday. Two men were struck by lightning in Ankaputhur, a suburb of Chennai.

In some parts of the city, like Chembakkaam in Tambaram locality, water logging up to two feet was reported after the overnight rain making it difficult for motorists to negotiate the roads. Subways at Vyasarpadi in north Chennai were flooded and people faced difficulty in reaching the railway station.

Heavy waterlogging was also reported in Anna Nagar, Vadapalani, West Mambalam, T Nagar, Ashok Nagar junction, Nandanam, Mogappair, Ambattur, Perambur, Mudichur, and Perangalathur. These areas faced severe problem in 2015 when Chennai was flooded for three days.

“More heavy rainfall is predicted for today,” said S Balachander, director of Area Cyclone Warning Centre of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai.

School students run along a street under monsoon rains in Chennai on Monday. (AFP)

Weather officials have predicted heavy to very heavy showers in the next three days in Chennai and its neighbourhood. The met office has also issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rain across the coastal Tamil Nadu till Friday.

The city administration has requested help from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and kept nine rescue teams on standby.

A mix of flood waters and neck-deep sewage swelled in Chennai after weeks of monsoon rains resulted in a cloudburst in November-December 2015. The floods claimed the lives of 270 people in Chennai.