06 16 17 41 06 17 17 42 06 17 17 42 23 38 11 12 00 00 12 ......Feb 12, 2015 · CM YK CH-CH THE...
1
CM YK CH-CH | 3 THE HINDU WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015 CHENNAI CITY Published by N. Ram at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., and Printed by N. Krishnan at Plot B-6 & B-7, CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar, Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin: 603209. Editor: Malini Parthasarathy (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). Disclaimer: Readers are requested to verify & make appropriate enquiries to satisfy themselves about the veracity of an adver- tisement before responding to any published in this newspaper. Kasturi & Sons Limited, the Publisher & Owner of this newspaper, does not vouch for the authenticity of any advertisement or advertiser or for any of the advertiser’s pro- ducts and/or services. In no event can the Owner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Director/s, Employees of this newspaper/company be held responsible/liable in any manner whatsoever for any claims and/or damages for advertisements in this newspaper. CHENNAI Dec 02,Wed Dec 03,Thu Dec 04,Fri RISE 06 16 SET 17 41 RISE 06 17 SET 17 42 RISE 06 17 SET 17 42 RISE 23 38 SET 11 12 RISE 00 00 SET 12 12 RISE 00 25 SET 12 52 RELIGION Ramayanam: R. Krishnamurthy, Sri Sankara Gurukulam, 8/20, C.P. Ra- maswamy St., Abhiramapuram, 7 p.m. Bhagavatham: Suprajananda, Ra- makrishna Math, Mylapore, 5-30 p.m.; B. Sundarkumar, P.S.B. Main Hall, Park Rd., near SBOA School, An- na Nagar West, 6-30 p.m. Thiruppavai: T.G. Narayanaswamy, 273-B, 2nd Main Rd., Natesa Nagar, Virugambakkam, 7 p.m. Jeevanmukti Vivekam: K.S. Mahes- waran, Sri Sankara Gurukulam, 8/20, C.P. Ramaswamy St., Abhiramapu- ram, 5 p.m. CULTURE A.K.P. Fine Arts: Inauguration of Music and Dance festival, Vani Mahal, G.N. Chetty Rd., T.Nagar, 6 p.m. GENERAL Shree Geeta Bhavan Trust: Mass Wedding of 38 couples of differently abled/deserving men/women from the economically weaker sections, Minister B. Valarmathi participates, Avvai Shanmugam Salai, Gopalapu- ram, 8-30 a.m. Gandhi Study Centre: Presentation of T.D. Tirumalai memorial prizes and awards, Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya Campus, Venkatnarayana Rd., T.Na- gar, 11 a.m. Dr. Ambedkar Academy The Peo- ple’s Educational Trust: Meeting, Kavery Colony, 24th St., Anna Nagar East, 6-30 p.m. Narcotics Anonymous: Meeting, Staying Clean Group, St. Lourdes Church, Don Bosco School, Peram- bur, 7 p.m. Al-Anon: Meetings, Police Commu- nity Hall, Kondithope, Walltax Rd.; Shrine of Divine Mercy Church, Anna Nagar East, Near Chinthamani; St. An- drews Church, Gandhi Rd., Gudu- vancheri; Ambedkar Manram, Ashok Nagar; The Lady of the Light Church, Luz, Mylapore; and Jacob MHSS., Judges Colony, Periakuppam, Tiruval- lur, 7 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous: Meetings, Loyola MHSS., United India Colony, Kodambakkam; St. Lukes Church, An- na Nagar; Anglo Indian Association, Ponniyamman Koil St., Egmore; Annai Velankanni Church, Besant Nagar; C.S.I. Good Shepherd Church, Tara- mani Link Rd., Velachery; Kondithope Community Centre, Police Quarters, Walltax Rd.; St. Mathias Church, Kamarajar Salai, K.K. Nagar; C.S.I. Church, Moolakadai; and The Lady of the Light Church, Luz Church Rd., My- lapore, 7 p.m. CHENNAI TODAY CHENNAI: Tambaram and sur- rounding areas once again bore the brunt of the rains, with thousands of residents forced to leave their homes again. Breaches in lakes in Manni- vakkam, Mudichur, Varadara- japuram and West Tambaram led to swift inundation of en- tire neighbourhoods in their vicinity. Breaches on the bunds of Mudichur lake caused con- siderable damage, residents said. Water overflowing from this lake flooded Mudichur Main Road that connects Tambaram and Wallajahbad via Mannivakkam and Padap- pai. People were seen travell- ing in tractors and trucks from their homes to safer places in other areas of West Tambaram. “It is frightening. It has been nearly 20 years since I came to Chennai from Delhi. I have never seen such a rain and flooding,” said N. Arun, a resident of Mannivakkam. Madanandapuram and Lakshmi Nagar were among areas that were severely af- fected. “We rescued 1,000 people from Lakshmi Nagar alone,” P. Damodaran, presi- dent of Mudichur village pan- chayat, said. They are also being helped by the Coastal Security Group. Meanwhile, the City police have also formed sev- en exclusive teams with boats to rescue people. “Each team will have ten people. Besides this, each police station also has a rescue team with a trac- tor or other bigger vehicle,” said a police officer. Patients rescued People undergoing treat- ment at Tambaram Taluk Government Hospital were rescued after the hospital was flooded to a level of three feet of water inside it. More than 50 patients were rescued, in- cluding those in intensive medical care unit. According to officials in Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) Department, over 200 firemen are currently de- ployed in Tambaram and sur- rounding areas alone to res- cue the stranded. Five ambulances have been sent to the hospital from the city, an official of the State-assisted 108 ambulance service said. Apart from West Tamba- ram, Mudichur and Varadara- japuram, other severely af- fected areas include Chromepet, Tirumudivak- kam, Vandalur and Guduvan- chery due to the breaching of lakes. “We used our six boats and also borrowed a few from the State Fisheries Department to ferry residents to safety,” a senior TNFRS officer said. Firemen rescued 46 pa- tients undergoing treatment in Tambaram Taluk Govern- ment Hospital in Chromepet and helped them shift to other hospitals in the city. They were taken on stretchers and shifted to ambulances waiting near the entrance and were shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Gov- ernment Hospital, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Institute of Child Health and Hospital, both in Egmore. Five patients are still stranded on the first floor at the hospi- tal, also known as Chromepet GH, and will be shifted by Wednesday morning. Water had stagnated to a height of 5.5 feet inside the hospital. At Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine in Tamba- ram Sanatorium, there is waist-deep water from the main entrance to the wards and the administrative build- ing. Boats have been deployed to help patients and staff. There are more than 450 in- patients and 10 staff and care- givers in the hospital. Doctors are hoping that the water will recede on Wednesday. Breaches in lakes in Mannivakkam, Mudichur, Varadarajapuram and West Tambaram led to swift inundation of entire neighbourhoods In Semmancherry, residents leave their inundated houses; train services between Tambaram and Chennai Beach were disrupted due to waterlogging of the tracks; vehicles on the flooded Tambaram-Velacherry Main Road — PHOTO: M. KARUNAKARAN, G. KRISHNASWAMY, K.V. SRINIVASAN It turns out to be a terrible Tuesday for southern suburbs VIVEK NARAYANAN KANCHEEPURAM: The Grand Southern Trunk Road (Na- tional Highway 45) between Tambaram and Chengalpattu was closed for traffic from Tuesday afternoon due to flooding at several points on the 35-kilometre stretch. Police allowed two-way traffic on one side of the road between Tambaram and Chengalpattu in the morning when the water started flow- ing across the carriageway at Nandivaram-Guduvanchery, Singaperumalkoil, Vandalur and many places. As the wa- ter flow increased later in the day, traffic was suspended from 3 p.m. Police said the possibility of diverting traffic through Mannivakkam and Padappai to reach Oragadam did not work out due to waterlogging on the carriageway as surplus water from several tanks started overflowing. Subsequently, mofussil buses from Koyambedu were diverted to Sriperumpudur from where they were divert- ed to reach Chengalpattu via Wallajahbad, Oragadam and Vallakottai. As the water flow increased later in the day, traffic was suspended from 3 p.m. Traffic diversions were effected on Grand Southern Trunk Road following flooding of several parts of the arterial stretch — PHOTO: G. KRISHNASWAMY GST Road closed for traffic V. VENKATASUBRAMANIAN KANCHEEPURAM: J. Mutharasi, Su- perintendent of Police, Kan- cheepuram Police District, has urged residents to avoid excursions to waterbodies. The word of caution fol- lows many instances of peo- ple heading to lakes and tanks filled with floodwater, out of curiosity. She has also asked them not to venture out in their vehi- cles in view of the incessant downpour and subsequent flooding. Holiday declared MeanwhileDistrict Collec- tor R. Gajalakshmi has an- nounced that all educational institutions in Kancheepuram district will remain closed on December 2, in view of the heavy rain. Residents asked to keep from waterbodies STAFF REPORTER The Madurantakam lake in Kancheepuram district attracts a lot of visitors — PHOTO: D. GOPALAKRISHNAN CHENNAI: This northeast mon- soon seems to be on its way to create new records for the State. While the previous spells ravaged Cuddalore and Pu- ducherry, the north coastal districts of Chennai, Tiru- vallur and Kancheepuram were the most affected by Tuesday’s torrential downpour. Though there is still a month for the monsoon to wind up over the region, the State has already registered 53 cm of rainfall against its average of 44 cm. Chennai’s rainfall missed the record of wettest November of the century by 39.1 mm. The all-time record of heavy downpour was 1,088.4 mm in November 1918. Tuesday’s incessant rain brought nearly 15 cm over Chennai till 6.30 p.m. in- ching closer to decade’s highest rainfall of 23 cm re- ceived on December 3, 2005. Several weather stations in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts re- ceived very heavy rainfall to extremely heavy rainfall as in Chembarambakkam that recorded 25 cm in less than 10 hours. Weather experts observe that even a trough of low pressure or low-pres- sure area can influence such huge volume of rains with a potential of deluge. Unlike a deep depression or cyclone that may cross the coast in a day or two, these weather systems that persists in the same area over the sea can impact cloud bursts and in- tense rains. Moreover, there was not much lull in north- east monsoon activity this year when the State gets res- pite with long dry spells. This indicates the volatile nature of the monsoon. While 2015 is a strong El Nino year favouring north- east monsoon, it is not the only contributing factor that brought downpour over the State. A complex interplay of global weather factors such as southern oscillation and Siberian High are also responsible for the heavy spells, notes Y.E.A. Raj, for- mer deputy director general of meteorology, Chennai. There were years when the State received excess rainfall even without El Ni- no. The year 2005 presents a classic example with 79 per cent of surplus rains. Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram most affected by Tuesday’s rains Residents and cattle wade through rainwater at M.S.P. Nagar, Maduravoyal, on Tuesday — PHOTO: M. VEDHAN This monsoon may set new records for State K. LAKSHMI CHENNAI: The Kancheepuram district administration has es- tablished control rooms at the district headquarters in Kan- cheepuram and also in Tam- baram. People living in flood-af- fected areas can contact these numbers in the event of an emergency. Kancheepuram: 044 2723 7107, 044 2723 7207, Tamba- ram: 94450 51077, 74017 64105, 72994 35270. Control rooms opened at Tambaram, Kancheepuram STAFF REPORTER CHENNAI: Arvind Raj posted on microblogging site Twit- ter on Tuesday asking for the safest route to travel from Taramani to Medavakkam and his query was met with immediate responses from people cautioning him against travelling through the stretch, which was wa- terlogged. The rains, which did not cease through the day on Tuesday, saw many turn to Facebook and Twitter for help while being stranded in traffic or getting trapped in inundated houses. In a re- peat of what happened dur- ing the floods that crippled the city a few weeks ago, us- ers such as @imprasath on Twitter said they had a space for people stranded in the rain to be accommodated. Other users such as Usha Arun took to the social media platform to warn peo- ple about how Rajiv Gandhi Salai (Old Mamallapuram Road) was flooded between Navalur and Perungudi. Sounding a warning about the rains that would contin- ue to lash the city, the Tamil- NaduWeatherMan page on Facebook posted at 2 p.m. on Tuesday that their rain up- date was a ‘Go home/ Stay at home’ update asking people to go home immediately in- stead of waiting for the downpour to abate. Photos of flooded roads in Urapakkam, Mudichur, Ava- di, Kathipara and Thoraipak- kam were shared by weather bloggers such as Chennai Weather and Chennaiyil Oru Mazhaikalam, both of which have a combined following of over 26,000 people online. A video of a pothole of Ra- jiv Gandhi Salai, not too far from Tidel Park — where water began gushing out like a fountain — went viral on- line, coming close on the heels of the road cave-in at Madhya Kailash on Monday. Social media comes to rescue of the stranded S. POORVAJA CHENNAI: The deluge on Tues- day also saw quite a few in- spiring stories. Responsible citizens rose to the occasion and reached out to those in distress. There was all round appreciation for these Good Samaritains, as was evident on social media. The video of a man being rescued after he was trapped in floodwaters on a road near Padappai went viral online on Tuesday. The man, pre- sumably a pedestrian, seems unable to move forward as rainwater gushes from one side of the road to another. From the traffic that has built up on one side of the road, motorists and pedes- trians can be seen forming a human chain and pulling the man up from knee-deep wa- ter. “Near Vivekananda Col- lege and Gandhi Mandapam, motorists and pedestrians were seen directing traffic and helping others walk to a higher ground,” said K. Ma- noharan, a resident of Kotturpuram. Video of man being saved goes viral STAFF REPORTER CHENNAI: The heavy rain has damaged the compound wall around Arignar Anna Zoolog- ical Park in Vandalur. All ani- mals are safe, zoo authorities said. According to the zoo offi- cials, the wall on the 12-km Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road, a State Highway, col- lapsed at five spots due to heavy rain. Rainwater — pri- marily surplus water over- flowing from lakes between Vandalur and Guduvanchery — entered the zoo. Officials told The Hindu that all ani- mals — 46 endangered spe- cies, 63 species of birds and 47 varieties of mammals — were safe in its 160 enclosures at the zoo. “The damage is only on the peripheral boundary of the zoo. The animals are not af- fected. The damaged wall will be restored only after the rains stop,” a senior official said. The rain has forced officials to shut down the zoo on Wednesday. But the regular maintenance of the facility will be followed. Everyday, on an average, around 5,000 vis- itors come to the zoo. “As of now, the decision to close the zoo was taken only for Wednesday. Extension of the closure period will be based on weather update,” an official added. Vandalur zoo to be closed today D. MADHAVAN
Transcript of 06 16 17 41 06 17 17 42 06 17 17 42 23 38 11 12 00 00 12 ......Feb 12, 2015 · CM YK CH-CH THE...
CMYK
CH-CH
| 3THE HINDU WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015
CHENNAI CITY
Published by N. Ram at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., and Printed by N. Krishnan at Plot B-6 & B-7, CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar, Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin: 603209. Editor: Malini Parthasarathy (Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act).
Disclaimer: Readers are requested to verify &make appropriate enquiries to satisfythemselves about the veracity of an adver-tisement before responding to any published inthis newspaper. Kasturi & Sons Limited, thePublisher & Owner of this newspaper, does notvouch for the authenticity of any advertisementor advertiser or for any of the advertiser’s pro-ducts and/or services. In no event can theOwner, Publisher, Printer, Editor, Director/s,Employees of this newspaper/company be heldresponsible/liable in any manner whatsoever forany claims and/or damages for advertisementsin this newspaper.
C H E N N A I
Dec 02,Wed Dec 03,Thu Dec 04,FriRISE 06 16 SET 17 41 RISE 06 17 SET 17 42 RISE 06 17 SET 17 42
RISE 23 38 SET 11 12 RISE 00 00 SET 12 12 RISE 00 25 SET 12 52
RELIGIONRamayanam: R. Krishnamurthy, SriSankara Gurukulam, 8/20, C.P. Ra-maswamy St., Abhiramapuram, 7p.m.Bhagavatham: Suprajananda, Ra-makrishna Math, Mylapore, 5-30p.m.; B. Sundarkumar, P.S.B. MainHall, Park Rd., near SBOA School, An-na Nagar West, 6-30 p.m.Thiruppavai: T.G. Narayanaswamy,273-B, 2nd Main Rd., Natesa Nagar,Virugambakkam, 7 p.m.Jeevanmukti Vivekam: K.S. Mahes-waran, Sri Sankara Gurukulam, 8/20,C.P. Ramaswamy St., Abhiramapu-ram, 5 p.m.
CULTUREA.K.P. Fine Arts: Inauguration ofMusic and Dance festival, Vani Mahal,G.N. Chetty Rd., T.Nagar, 6 p.m.
GENERALShree Geeta Bhavan Trust: MassWedding of 38 couples of differentlyabled/deserving men/women fromthe economically weaker sections,Minister B. Valarmathi participates,Avvai Shanmugam Salai, Gopalapu-ram, 8-30 a.m.Gandhi Study Centre: Presentationof T.D. Tirumalai memorial prizes andawards, Thakkar Bapa VidyalayaCampus, Venkatnarayana Rd., T.Na-gar, 11 a.m.Dr. Ambedkar Academy The Peo-
ple’s Educational Trust: Meeting,Kavery Colony, 24th St., Anna NagarEast, 6-30 p.m.
Narcotics Anonymous: Meeting,Staying Clean Group, St. LourdesChurch, Don Bosco School, Peram-bur, 7 p.m.
Al-Anon: Meetings, Police Commu-nity Hall, Kondithope, Walltax Rd.;Shrine of Divine Mercy Church, AnnaNagar East, Near Chinthamani; St. An-drews Church, Gandhi Rd., Gudu-vancheri; Ambedkar Manram, AshokNagar; The Lady of the Light Church,Luz, Mylapore; and Jacob MHSS.,Judges Colony, Periakuppam, Tiruval-lur, 7 p.m.
Alcoholics Anonymous: Meetings,Loyola MHSS., United India Colony,Kodambakkam; St. Lukes Church, An-na Nagar; Anglo Indian Association,Ponniyamman Koil St., Egmore; AnnaiVelankanni Church, Besant Nagar;C.S.I. Good Shepherd Church, Tara-mani Link Rd., Velachery; KondithopeCommunity Centre, Police Quarters,Walltax Rd.; St. Mathias Church,Kamarajar Salai, K.K. Nagar; C.S.I.Church, Moolakadai; and The Lady ofthe Light Church, Luz Church Rd., My-lapore, 7 p.m.
CHENNAI TODAY
CHENNAI: Tambaram and sur-rounding areas once againbore the brunt of the rains,with thousands of residentsforced to leave their homesagain.
Breaches in lakes in Manni-vakkam, Mudichur, Varadara-japuram and West Tambaramled to swift inundation of en-tire neighbourhoods in theirvicinity.
Breaches on the bunds ofMudichur lake caused con-siderable damage, residentssaid. Water overflowing fromthis lake flooded MudichurMain Road that connectsTambaram and Wallajahbadvia Mannivakkam and Padap-pai. People were seen travell-ing in tractors and trucksfrom their homes to saferplaces in other areas of WestTambaram.
“It is frightening. It hasbeen nearly 20 years since Icame to Chennai from Delhi.I have never seen such a rainand flooding,” said N. Arun, aresident of Mannivakkam.Madanandapuram andLakshmi Nagar were amongareas that were severely af-fected. “We rescued 1,000
people from Lakshmi Nagaralone,” P. Damodaran, presi-dent of Mudichur village pan-chayat, said.
They are also being helpedby the Coastal SecurityGroup. Meanwhile, the Citypolice have also formed sev-en exclusive teams with boatsto rescue people. “Each teamwill have ten people. Besidesthis, each police station also
has a rescue team with a trac-tor or other bigger vehicle,”said a police officer.
Patients rescuedPeople undergoing treat-
ment at Tambaram TalukGovernment Hospital wererescued after the hospital wasflooded to a level of three feetof water inside it. More than50 patients were rescued, in-
cluding those in intensivemedical care unit. Accordingto officials in Tamil Nadu Fireand Rescue Services(TNFRS) Department, over200 firemen are currently de-ployed in Tambaram and sur-rounding areas alone to res-cue the stranded. Fiveambulances have been sent tothe hospital from the city, anofficial of the State-assisted
108 ambulance service said. Apart from West Tamba-
ram, Mudichur and Varadara-japuram, other severely af-fected areas includeChromepet, Tirumudivak-kam, Vandalur and Guduvan-chery due to the breaching oflakes.
“We used our six boats andalso borrowed a few from theState Fisheries Department
to ferry residents to safety,” asenior TNFRS officer said.
Firemen rescued 46 pa-tients undergoing treatmentin Tambaram Taluk Govern-ment Hospital in Chromepetand helped them shift to otherhospitals in the city. Theywere taken on stretchers andshifted to ambulances waitingnear the entrance and wereshifted to Rajiv Gandhi Gov-
ernment Hospital, Institute ofObstetrics and Gynaecologyand Institute of Child Healthand Hospital, both in Egmore.Five patients are still strandedon the first floor at the hospi-tal, also known as ChromepetGH, and will be shifted byWednesday morning. Waterhad stagnated to a height of 5.5feet inside the hospital. AtGovernment Hospital for
Thoracic Medicine in Tamba-ram Sanatorium, there iswaist-deep water from themain entrance to the wardsand the administrative build-ing. Boats have been deployedto help patients and staff.There are more than 450 in-patients and 10 staff and care-givers in the hospital. Doctorsare hoping that the water willrecede on Wednesday.
Breaches in lakes in Mannivakkam, Mudichur, Varadarajapuram and West Tambaram led to swift inundation of entire neighbourhoods
In Semmancherry, residents leave their inundated houses; train services between Tambaram and Chennai Beach were disrupted due to waterlogging of the tracks; vehicles on the flooded Tambaram-Velacherry Main Road — PHOTO: M. KARUNAKARAN, G. KRISHNASWAMY, K.V. SRINIVASAN
It turns out to be a terrible Tuesday for southern suburbs VIVEK NARAYANAN
KANCHEEPURAM: The GrandSouthern Trunk Road (Na-tional Highway 45) betweenTambaram and Chengalpattuwas closed for traffic fromTuesday afternoon due toflooding at several points onthe 35-kilometre stretch.
Police allowed two-waytraffic on one side of the roadbetween Tambaram andChengalpattu in the morningwhen the water started flow-ing across the carriageway atNandivaram-Guduvanchery,Singaperumalkoil, Vandalurand many places. As the wa-ter flow increased later in theday, traffic was suspendedfrom 3 p.m.
Police said the possibilityof diverting traffic throughMannivakkam and Padappaito reach Oragadam did notwork out due to waterloggingon the carriageway as surpluswater from several tanksstarted overflowing.
Subsequently, mofussilbuses from Koyambedu werediverted to Sriperumpudurfrom where they were divert-ed to reach Chengalpattu viaWallajahbad, Oragadam andVallakottai.
As the water flow increased later in the day, traffic was suspended from 3 p.m.
Traffic diversions were effected on Grand Southern Trunk Road following flooding of severalparts of the arterial stretch — PHOTO: G. KRISHNASWAMY
GST Road closed for traffic V. VENKATASUBRAMANIAN
KANCHEEPURAM: J. Mutharasi, Su-perintendent of Police, Kan-cheepuram Police District,has urged residents to avoidexcursions to waterbodies.
The word of caution fol-lows many instances of peo-ple heading to lakes and tanksfilled with floodwater, out ofcuriosity.
She has also asked them notto venture out in their vehi-cles in view of the incessantdownpour and subsequentflooding.
Holiday declaredMeanwhileDistrict Collec-
tor R. Gajalakshmi has an-nounced that all educational
institutions in Kancheepuramdistrict will remain closed onDecember 2, in view of theheavy rain.
Residents asked to keepfrom waterbodies STAFF REPORTER
The Madurantakam lake inKancheepuram districtattracts a lot of visitors— PHOTO: D. GOPALAKRISHNAN
CHENNAI: This northeast mon-soon seems to be on its wayto create new records for theState.
While the previous spellsravaged Cuddalore and Pu-ducherry, the north coastaldistricts of Chennai, Tiru-vallur and Kancheepuramwere the most affected byTuesday’s torrentialdownpour.
Though there is still amonth for the monsoon towind up over the region, theState has already registered53 cm of rainfall against itsaverage of 44 cm. Chennai’srainfall missed the record ofwettest November of thecentury by 39.1 mm.
The all-time record ofheavy downpour was 1,088.4mm in November 1918.Tuesday’s incessant rainbrought nearly 15 cm overChennai till 6.30 p.m. in-ching closer to decade’shighest rainfall of 23 cm re-ceived on December 3, 2005.
Several weather stationsin Chennai, Tiruvallur andKancheepuram districts re-ceived very heavy rainfall toextremely heavy rainfall asin Chembarambakkam thatrecorded 25 cm in less than
10 hours. Weather expertsobserve that even a troughof low pressure or low-pres-sure area can influence suchhuge volume of rains with apotential of deluge. Unlike adeep depression or cyclonethat may cross the coast in aday or two, these weathersystems that persists in thesame area over the sea canimpact cloud bursts and in-tense rains. Moreover, therewas not much lull in north-east monsoon activity thisyear when the State gets res-pite with long dry spells.This indicates the volatilenature of the monsoon.
While 2015 is a strong ElNino year favouring north-east monsoon, it is not theonly contributing factor thatbrought downpour over theState. A complex interplayof global weather factorssuch as southern oscillationand Siberian High are alsoresponsible for the heavyspells, notes Y.E.A. Raj, for-mer deputy director generalof meteorology, Chennai.
There were years whenthe State received excessrainfall even without El Ni-no. The year 2005 presents aclassic example with 79 percent of surplus rains.
Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram most affected by Tuesday’s rains
Residents and cattle wade through rainwater at M.S.P.Nagar, Maduravoyal, on Tuesday — PHOTO: M. VEDHAN
This monsoon may setnew records for State K. LAKSHMI
CHENNAI: The Kancheepuramdistrict administration has es-tablished control rooms at thedistrict headquarters in Kan-cheepuram and also in Tam-baram.
People living in flood-af-fected areas can contact thesenumbers in the event of anemergency.
Kancheepuram: 044 27237107, 044 2723 7207, Tamba-ram: 94450 51077, 74017 64105,72994 35270.
Control rooms opened atTambaram, KancheepuramSTAFF REPORTER
CHENNAI: Arvind Raj postedon microblogging site Twit-ter on Tuesday asking for thesafest route to travel fromTaramani to Medavakkamand his query was met withimmediate responses frompeople cautioning himagainst travelling throughthe stretch, which was wa-terlogged.
The rains, which did notcease through the day onTuesday, saw many turn toFacebook and Twitter forhelp while being stranded intraffic or getting trapped ininundated houses. In a re-peat of what happened dur-ing the floods that crippledthe city a few weeks ago, us-ers such as @imprasath onTwitter said they had a spacefor people stranded in therain to be accommodated.
Other users such as UshaArun took to the socialmedia platform to warn peo-ple about how Rajiv Gandhi
Salai (Old MamallapuramRoad) was flooded betweenNavalur and Perungudi.
Sounding a warning aboutthe rains that would contin-ue to lash the city, the Tamil-NaduWeatherMan page onFacebook posted at 2 p.m. onTuesday that their rain up-date was a ‘Go home/ Stay athome’ update asking peopleto go home immediately in-stead of waiting for thedownpour to abate.
Photos of flooded roads inUrapakkam, Mudichur, Ava-di, Kathipara and Thoraipak-kam were shared by weatherbloggers such as ChennaiWeather and Chennaiyil OruMazhaikalam, both of whichhave a combined followingof over 26,000 people online.
A video of a pothole of Ra-jiv Gandhi Salai, not too farfrom Tidel Park — wherewater began gushing out likea fountain — went viral on-line, coming close on theheels of the road cave-in atMadhya Kailash on Monday.
Social media comes torescue of the stranded S. POORVAJA
CHENNAI: The deluge on Tues-day also saw quite a few in-spiring stories. Responsiblecitizens rose to the occasionand reached out to those indistress. There was all roundappreciation for these GoodSamaritains, as was evidenton social media.
The video of a man beingrescued after he was trappedin floodwaters on a road nearPadappai went viral onlineon Tuesday. The man, pre-sumably a pedestrian, seems
unable to move forward asrainwater gushes from oneside of the road to another.
From the traffic that hasbuilt up on one side of theroad, motorists and pedes-trians can be seen forming ahuman chain and pulling theman up from knee-deep wa-ter. “Near Vivekananda Col-lege and Gandhi Mandapam,motorists and pedestrianswere seen directing trafficand helping others walk to ahigher ground,” said K. Ma-noharan, a resident ofKotturpuram.
Video of man beingsaved goes viralSTAFF REPORTER
CHENNAI: The heavy rain hasdamaged the compound wallaround Arignar Anna Zoolog-ical Park in Vandalur. All ani-mals are safe, zoo authoritiessaid.
According to the zoo offi-cials, the wall on the 12-kmVandalur-Kelambakkam
Road, a State Highway, col-lapsed at five spots due toheavy rain. Rainwater — pri-marily surplus water over-flowing from lakes betweenVandalur and Guduvanchery— entered the zoo. Officialstold The Hindu that all ani-mals — 46 endangered spe-cies, 63 species of birds and 47varieties of mammals — were
safe in its 160 enclosures atthe zoo.
“The damage is only on theperipheral boundary of thezoo. The animals are not af-fected. The damaged wall willbe restored only after therains stop,” a senior officialsaid.
The rain has forced officialsto shut down the zoo onWednesday. But the regularmaintenance of the facilitywill be followed. Everyday, onan average, around 5,000 vis-itors come to the zoo.
“As of now, the decision toclose the zoo was taken onlyfor Wednesday. Extension ofthe closure period will bebased on weather update,” anofficial added.
Vandalur zoo to be closed todayD. MADHAVAN
