Floating cars, submerged localities: Chennai battles floods in the wake of cyclone Michuang

Chennai: Cars floating in a sea of water in the parking area of high rise apartments and in low-lying areas, people walking in waist-deep water on main roads, and the worst affected being rescued and taken to safety in boats – the sufferings of Chennaiites on Monday owing to heavy rains that Cyclone Michaung lashed the city are one of the worst in recent times.

From the gleaming IT Corridor to suburban areas like Pallikaranai, Tambaram, and Medavakkam to localities like west Mambalam, Mylapore, Kodambakkam, Nungambakkam, Anna Nagar, Perambur, Valasaravakkam, and Adyar in the city – the heavy rains left a trail of destruction everywhere confining lakhs of people indoors for the whole of Monday.

The story was same wherever one went --- knee-deep to waist-deep water with the city receiving over 40 cm of rainfall in just about 48 hours. Most of the interior roads were full of water making it tough for people to even reach neighborhood shops to purchase groceries and essentials.

People living in core city areas like Mambalam, Mylapore, and Kodambakkam complained that their cars were floating in the flood water outside their homes or inside their apartment complexes, raising questions about the preparedness of the civic agencies and the state government which spent Rs 4,000 crore on storm water drains.

Videos of over a dozen cars floating in the water in the parking area of a high-rise building in Pallikaranai on the outskirts went viral with people sharing it widely to show the magnitude of the Cyclone-induced rains and its impact.

Velachery, another flood-prone area, was affected this time as well with several areas marooned, while people in suburban areas such as Mudichur, Perungalathur, and Varadharajapuram were rescued from their homes using boats.

Taramani, the entry point from the city to the IT corridor was completely flooded and cut-off from remaining parts of the metropolis. The situation was similar in many neighbouring areas and parts of the IT corridor.

“My car was literally floating when I attempted to go to my office in the morning. After driving for a km, I realised that I cannot proceed with my journey. The roads looked like a lake as I could see was water. I returned home,” Kanish, who works in hospitality industry, told DH.

The Adyar River, the lifeline of the city, looked like a sea on Monday, even as people living on its banks were moved to safety. Social media, especially X platform, was filled with requests to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), journalists, politicians, and activists seeking help for people stuck inside their flooded homes.

Pallikaranai was one of the worst affected areas with several videos of knee-deep water inside a high-rise building that has apparently come up in between a waterbody doting social media and WhatsApp. While residents of the apartment complained of flooding, social media users and activists pointed out that the locality where the complex has come up is marshland and such a situation was inevitable.