Chennai schools shut, roads waterlogged as heavy rain to continue for the next 24 hours
In Thanjavur, a 38-year-old man died after the mud wall of his hut collapsed in the downpour.
Heavy rain is expected to continue in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu over the next 24 hours, the weather department said on Tuesday.
Schools and colleges in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur remained shut, roads in low-lying areas were waterlogged, and residents reported power cuts in several areas, the Hindustan Times reported. In Thanjavur, a 38-year-old man died after the mud wall of his hut collapsed.
The met office issued a warning of heavy rain, especially across coastal Tamil Nadu till Friday.
“Recently heavy rain lashed Bengaluru, London and the United States,” Tamil Nadu minister for municipal administration SP Velumani said. “But, I assure you we have done more work compared to these developed nations.”
In Chennai, parts of Anna Nagar, Vadapalani, West Mambalam, T Nagar, the Ashok Nagar junction, Nandanam, Mogappair, Ambattur, Perambur, Mudichur, and Perangalathur reported heavy water-logging, the Hindustan Times report said. Traffic in parts of the city also came to a standstill on Monday.
Residents on the outskirts of Chennai said they had to wade through knee-deep water outside their homes, NDTV reported.
This was despite Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner D Karthikeyan saying the civic body was ready to tackle the city’s rain this year, amid fears of a repeat of the 2015 floods, PTI reported. In December 2015, the city experienced the heaviest rainfall in a hundred years. Lakes and canals overflowed and flooded thousands of homes, killing hundreds of people.