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Rescue Efforts In India Continue As Chennai Gets Downpoured
The worst recorded torrential rain storm in the last century hit India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, nearly immobilizing the city of Chennai.
The severe flooding caused the city to close down schools, offices, factories and The Chennai International Airport.
Shocking pictures have circled the Internet showing the people of Chennai wading through almost neck-deep water, with some flooding even reaching the first floor of building complexes.
Photo Credit: Indian Express
As the rain continues to pour, the country’s rescue operations continue in Chennai and its surrounding cities in an effort to remedy the current crisis the State is facing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi traveled to Chennai yesterday to assess the deluge, after the flooding practically submerged the State under water, forcing thousands of families to evacuate their homes.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the Parliament yesterday, confirming the death toll has reached 269 people in the surrounding state of Tamil Nadu.
Photo Credit: The Hindu Business Line
“The rains have broken the past 100 years’ record, and this has created an unprecedented emergency situation in Chennai,” Mr. Singh said.
Laxman Singh Rathore, the director general of India’s Meteorological Department stated that the heavy rains began in Tamil Nadu on November 12, commencing the monsoon season that typically lasts in the region until late December. He added that 14 inches of rain fell in Chennai on Wednesday.
The Press Trust of India reported, that the state government advised private companies in Chennai and two other districts to declare a holiday on Thursday and Friday.
Photo Credit: The New York Times
Although officials are blaming the unusual heavy rainfall for the chaos, experts believe this is none other than a man-made disatster. Critics of the local government said the city was frequently hit with heavy rain in the past and are pointing fingers at "greedy town planners and dumb engineers" as a contributing factor to the death and destruction.
In a statement made on Thursday, Sunita Narain, director general of the Dehli-based Centre for Science and Environment, stated that "urban sprawls," including Chennai, too often neglect bodies of water in their development plans.
Photo Credit: Tale Picker
"We have built over many of these water bodies, blocking the smooth flow of water. We have forgotten the art of drainage. We only see land for buildings, not for water," Narain expressed in her statement.
Comparable downpours happened during this time in 1997 and 1976, when the Adyar River overflowed Chennai's water banks and invaded one-floor homes.
This downpour comes after PM Narendra Modi coincidentally visited Paris this week along with the leaders of 196 other countries for a meeting on climate change.
One thing is for sure, the government and urban developers of Chennai need to ask themselves, "Why does Chennai keep going under water?"
Main Image Photo Credit: Tale Picker
Nicole Singh
Author
Nicole is a bilingual professional with a journalism background who adores everything to do with fashion, culture, and Bollywood. She always had a passion for writing since a young age and decided to follow that dream. She has a sense of working in the field through news publications writt...
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