Chennai’s civic administration has deployed nearly 15,000 field workers across the city and activated round-the-clock control rooms after intense rainfall caused waterlogging in several areas, including Parrys, Broadway Bus Terminus and Triplicane.
Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna inspected the State Disaster Management Control Room at Ezhilagam, the Integrated Command and Control Centre at the Ripon Building complex and affected areas on Sunday morning. The inspections followed rainfall from Saturday evening through the early hours of Sunday.
The Minister said Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay was receiving hourly updates on the situation, while ministers were overseeing relief and response operations on the ground. He urged residents to report water stagnation and emergencies through the Greater Chennai Corporation’s 1913 helpline. He also appealed to news channels to display the number continuously, saying calls were being routed directly to the IAS officers responsible for the respective zones.
Regional-level war rooms have been established alongside the main control room at Ezhilagam to coordinate emergency measures. Aadhav Arjuna said preparatory meetings involving officials, MLAs and ministers had been held three days before the rainfall. By the time of the briefing, IAS officers assigned to different zones had handled more than 80 emergency calls.
The administration has identified marriage halls as temporary relief shelters and prepared five relief centres with essential food supplies. The government is also seeking assistance from non-governmental organisations for relief operations. Residents living in old or unsafe structures, particularly 60-year-old Tamil Nadu Housing Board buildings in North Chennai, have been advised to move temporarily to government relief centres.
The Minister said electricity supply could be temporarily disconnected in severely inundated areas as a precaution. The Greater Chennai Corporation, police, traffic police, National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force are coordinating field operations. One NDRF battalion has been deployed with four inflatable boats, 40 life jackets, outboard motor generator sets and emergency medical kits.
A 50-member Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force battalion is on standby at the Ripon Building for rapid deployment to North Chennai. After inspecting waterlogging in Ice House, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G S Sameeran said senior officials, including deputy commissioners and joint commissioners, were monitoring affected areas.
Authorities have asked residents not to enter flooded areas or go near riverbanks to film videos or sightsee. Parents have also been advised to keep children indoors and away from stagnant water. Officials said heavy rainfall was forecast to continue between October 17 and 21, particularly during night hours, and that response agencies would continue coordinating relief and emergency operations across the city.
