As some parts of the core city started recovering from the impact of the floods on Tuesday, residents in many parts of the southern, western, and northern zones continue to be marooned.
As many as 1,396 civic workers from other towns of the State reached the city on Tuesday and were deployed in Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar, Ambattur, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam, and Adyar for flood relief operations. More workers are expected to start relief work in the flood-hit zones. As a number of areas remained flooded on Tuesday, residents have flagged the issues on social media, requesting the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) for rescue and relief.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin visited flooded areas of the city on Tuesday. He visited Kannappar Thidal, launched a medical camp on Wall Tax Road, distributed relief material to residents in areas such as Elephant Gate, and interacted with conservancy workers before visiting the Integrated Command and Control Centre in Ripon Buildings. As many as 350 workers from other towns were deployed in Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar, 220 in Anna Nagar, 200 in Royapuram, 141 in Adyar, 137 in Kodambakkam, 115 in Ambattur, and 100 in Tondiarpet.
Flooding in many of the bus routes was reduced on Tuesday. Arterial roads were opened for traffic in most zones, but many interior roads reported water stagnation of more than 4 ft as water flow from the outskirts continued on Tuesday.
GCC Chief Engineer N. Mahesan said 2,000 conservancy workers from Tiruchi and Coimbatore would reach the city to launch an intensive cleaning campaign to remove accumulated garbage and disinfect all flood-hit streets of the city. ”During the intensive cleaning campaign, we will also focus on water supply in flooded areas and removal of garden garbage,” he added.
Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru and Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Secretary D. Karthikeyan inspected the pumping operation in areas such as Kolathur Selvi Nagar. Mr. Karthikeyan conducted a meeting at Ripon Buildings on Tuesday and directed officials to prepare a list of flood-hit areas that require pumping to facilitate deployment of machinery. He also ordered officials to find the reasons for flooding in each road and locality.
Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin visited flooded areas, such as Velachery, and monitored the rescue of two workers trapped at a construction site by National Disaster Response Force. He visited relief operations in Velachery Five Furlong Road, Velachery Lake View Road, Perungudi Sheva Nagar, Kallukuttai, Triplicane, and Chepauk.
A. Francis, president of Federation of Thoraipakkam Residents’ Welfare Association, said more than 7,000 residents in 1,500 houses had been marooned in Thoraipakkam Anand Nagar, Vinayaga Nagar, and MCN Nagar in ward 193 for two days. “We have no electricity or water. The water level rose on Tuesday, after rainfall stopped. Water level is 4 feet high in our area,” he said.
GCC Commissioner J. Radhakrishnan visited flooded areas, such as Pallikaranai and other southern parts of the city, to speed up rescue and relief work. The work was hampered owing to the disruption of telecommunications in the flood-hit areas of the city.
The rescue and relief work on Tuesday was carried out by the wireless communication system of the civic body, but less than 800 workers of the civic body have a walkie talkie. So, communicating with most of the 23,000 GCC workers and those of line agencies was a challenge in many zones on Tuesday.
