Over 15,000 Workers Carry Out Rescue, Rainwater Clearance At Night
The government described the rainfall in some areas, where precipitation exceeded 30 cm overnight, as unprecedented in volume, adding that normalcy had been restored by Sunday morning.
Chennai: More than 15,000 workers were deployed overnight to carry out rescue and rainwater clearance operations across Chennai following exceptionally heavy rainfall and all 22 subways were reopened to traffic before 6 am on Sunday.
In a press release issued on Sunday, the state government said water had been cleared from all major bus-route roads and most waterlogged streets. Pumping operations were continuing in a few low-lying areas and were expected to be completed within a few hours.
Parry’s Corner recorded the highest rainfall at 36.3 cm in 24 hours. Six locations received extremely heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm, while 12 recorded very heavy rainfall exceeding 11.5 cm.
The government described the rainfall in some areas, where precipitation exceeded 30 cm overnight, as unprecedented in volume, adding that normalcy had been restored by Sunday morning.
To expedite water clearance, the corporation deployed 650 electric motor pumps and tractor-mounted pumps across affected areas. One National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team and four Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force (TNDRF) teams were stationed in flood-prone locations to assist with emergency operations.
Ministers, MLAs and senior officials conducted inspections through the night and coordinated the response.
The corporation also opened nine relief centres and arranged food for people in low-lying areas affected by the rain.
The government said no deaths or major damage had been reported and described the situation as under control. While most of the city’s roads had been cleared, officials continued pumping water from the remaining low-lying pockets.