NDRF, Army, Navy & Air Force step up rescue and relief works
AMN /
The situation has improved slightly in the flood hit northern part of Tamil Nadu, with the scale of rain coming down since yesterday. Power supply has been restored in most parts of Chennai. Water has started receding from many areas of the city. However, the suburban west Tambaram areas are still submerged under water.
A whopping 34,500 cusecs of surplus water continues to be released from Poondi reservoir causing flood like situation in Cooum river. Similarly, from Chembarambakkam reservoir, 29,000 cusecs of surplus water is being released in Adyar river which is in spate.
Chennai Airport remained closed till Friday. From today, Chennai bound flights will be landing at INS Rajali Airbase of Indian Navy at Arakonam which is about 60 kilometres from Chennai. Chief Minister Jayalalitha is scheduled to make an aerial survey of flood affected areas of Chennai, Kanchipuram and Thiruvaloor districts.
Four additional columns of Army troops have arrived in Chennai from Bengaluru for rescue and relief work. Already two columns of Army, consisting of 200 troops, are involved in rescue operations in Kanchipuram district. They have rescued 101 people from buses that were stranded due to flooding.
Three more NDRF teams have joined relief and rescue work in addition to 14 teams already pressed into service. Two teams of NDRF are undertaking relief work in Chennai along the Adyar river. 7 more teams are expected to arrive from Ghaziabad in UP, Odisha and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.
The Naval and Air Force Helicopters took sorties to drop food packets in the marooned Mudichur, Varadajapuram and other flood affected suburban areas. The Coast Guard had readied more rubberised inflatable rescue boats. They have so far shifted more than 150 people from marooned areas to safety. The Naval INS Airawat has arrived Chennai with rescue and relief material. The death toll in rain related incidents in the state has crossed 200.