Chennai (Tamil Nadu): The December deluge is back in Chennai as rains pounded the city and nearby districts due to Cyclone Michaung following which normal life was thrown out of gear. Several flights were also affected. Several vehicles were submerged in the rainwater. Cyclone Michaung is likely to cross the coast in Andhra Pradesh on December 5.
Low-lying areas and many residential parts witnessed inundation here, even as civic agency personnel were involved in clearing the stagnant water. Several areas in the city saw power outages and internet disruption as torrential rains accompanied by squally winds continued to lash the region.
The Chennai airport operations will remain suspended till 11 am. Sources said that as many as 70 flights arriving to and departing from the airport were cancelled owing to non-stop rains.
Chennai and nearby Chengalpet, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts among others received widespread rains since late Sunday under the impact of cyclonic storm Michaung.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that that cyclonic storm "MICHAUNG lay centred over Southwest Bay of Bengal about 210km east-northeast of Puducherry, 150km east-southeast of Chennai at 2330 hrs 3 Dec. Likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify & cross b/w Nellore and Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh) during the forenoon of 5 Dec as a Severe CS."
Rail and air services also suffered cancellations and delays. "In view of water flowing above danger level, the bridge no.14 between Basin bridge and Vyasarpadi has been suspended on account of safety reasons," and six trains originating from the Dr MGR Chennai Central to destinations including Coimbatore and Mysuru were cancelled on Monday morning, the Southern Railway said, adding full refund shall be granted to all passengers of the above trains.
According to airport officials, 12 domestic outbound services, including to destinations like Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram were cancelled. Four international services, including to Dubai and Srilanka were cancelled by a private carrier. Three arriving international services were diverted to Bengaluru.
As many as 14 subways in the city have been closed due to inundation, the city police said. In 11 places, uprooted trees were removed. At Velachery in the city, a portion of land reportedly gave way, leading to a deep pit and some people were trapped.
Meanwhile, all the Examinations(Regular and Distance Education Programme) of Anna University for Non-Autonomous affiliated Colleges and University Departments scheduled on 05.12.2023(Tuesday) are postponed as a safety measure due to heavy rain. The new date for the Examinations will be announced later.
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