Chennai Reels Under Rain; Subways, Major Bus Routes Cleared of Waterlogging

Chennai: The GCC cleared waterlogged subways and major bus routes after heavy overnight showers, restoring them for vehicular movement by Wednesday morning, Commissioner G S Sameeran said.

Rain continued to lash Chennai on Wednesday morning, after the city recorded an average rainfall of 7.3 cm over 24 hours.

South Chennai bore the brunt of the downpour, with Kodambakkam, Valasaravakkam, Velachery, Alandur and Adyar among the affected areas, along with parts of central Chennai.

Sameeran, speaking to reporters, said minor inundations were attended to immediately overnight to keep the streets clear.

Of the 22 subways maintained by the corporation, three, Jones Subway, Perambur Subway and Gengu Reddy Subway, were inundated but were drained and reopened to traffic. All 420 bus route roads are also open, he said.

Pumping operations are still on at AGS Colony in Velachery. At the Cathedral Road-Anna Salai junction near Semmozhi Poonga, the gradient along a 250-metre stretch has made relay pumping necessary. The corporation has deployed three 40 HP motors to pump water to Cathedral Road, then to Radhakrishnan Salai and finally into the Buckingham Canal to keep traffic moving, Sameeran said.

Anticipating heavy to torrential rainfall amid El Nino conditions, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has directed the civic body to respond swiftly and restore normal conditions at the earliest.

El Nino, the warm phase of a natural climate cycle, raises sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, triggering weather changes that can increase the risk of droughts and floods and intensify human-induced global warming.

To manage the relief work, the corporation has deployed an equal number of personnel in the morning and night shifts, sources said.