Chennai: More than 100 houses in Palavoyal near Chennai’s Red Hills areas were submerged on Wednesday after continuous heavy rain led to severe flooding across the low-lying neighbourhoods.
Over 200 residents spent hours trapped in hip-deep water as rescue teams struggled to reach the most affected pockets.
Residents from Palavoyal, Kumaran Nagar, Murugan Street, and stretches along Sothupakkam Main Road said the flooding began early in the morning and worsened steadily, despite the Regional Meteorological Centre withdrawing the Red alert a day earlier.
Many homes were inundated within minutes as rainwater rushed in from adjoining roads and breached the lake embankments nearby.
“For more than 10 years, this has been our reality,” said P. Karthik, a resident of Kumaran Nagar.
“Even moderate rain is enough to flood our streets. Today, the situation became frightening. Water reached hip level inside houses. If the lakes hadn’t breached, the waterlogging would not have become this severe.”
Residents said the areas lie several feet lower than the surrounding localities and lack proper stormwater drains or channels to divert rainwater.
With Sothupakkam Main Road serving as a major runoff point, water surged into the interior streets with force, making it risky for people — especially the elderly and children — to move out on their own.
By noon, several pockets reported water rising to chest level. Families were stranded on rooftops or inside homes waiting for help. Many said this was the worst flooding they had experienced in years.
Fire and Rescue Services deployed two lorries and a boat to carry out rescue operations.
“We rescued a total of 56 people, including 18 children, 19 men and 15 women,” a fire service personnel involved in the operations.
Teams worked throughout the day, navigating strong currents along the main road to reach residents cut off by the floods.
Locals pointed out that rainwater from the main road typically drains into the Singilimedu Lake. With the lake receiving excess inflow following the heavy downpour, it was unable to hold the runoff, contributing significantly to the flooding.
By late evening, water levels remained high in several areas, with residents urging authorities to create a permanent drainage system and strengthen the lake embankments to prevent similar crises during future spells of rain.
(IANS)
