Water recedes, focus now on rehabilitating affected

With water receding in most parts of the rain-battered city and its suburbs, focus is now on clearing the areas of muck left behind along with the rehabilitation of the affected.

Workers have been deployed by the Corporation of Chennai and other civic bodies to clear the muck. The state government has brought in workers from other districts for the purpose.

The unprecedented deluge has caused unforeseen havoc and devastation to property, with flooded houses stinking after the water receded. Waste and sludge are deposited in many places – the worst-affected  being Kotturpuram.

Water in suburban areas like Mudichur is yet to completely recede, though sunshine on Monday brought some hope to the residents.

Several parts of the city have witnessed heavy showers on Sunday too. The supply of milk, which had remained erratic for the last one week, has been restored and officials have announced helpline numbers to file complaints in case the essential commodity was sold at exorbitant rates as witnessed last week.

The government has deployed a battery of medics to distribute medicines among the victims. They said that medicines were being distributed to people mainly to safeguard them against diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases.

Train and bus services are slowly returning to normalcy and the recently launched Metro Rail witnessed an impressive footfall. Airline services have also become operational at the Chennai airport. 

The Southern Railway had announced cancellation of Monday’s 10 outbound inter and intra-state trains to various destinations, including Delhi and Mumbai due to “operational reasons”. Educational institutions in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallore remained closed even as the private sector like IT services were either partially shut or asked their employees to work from home.

Meanwhile, a lawyer filed a PIL at the Madras high court, seeking protection for aid workers by forming micro-level managing committees, following charges that ruling partymen and residents were harassing relief personnel.