Chennayil Oru Mazhaikalam

Chennai had not received any substantial rainfall in last few years due to failed monsoons. October-November is the monsoon season and the only source of water for this city and successive failures ensured prolonged dryness. When any forecast of heavy rain is predicted it was a subject of joke and usually considered as a sign of no rain :-). With rapidly growing population, underground water table in most parts of the city had come down alarmingly. Sea water has entered in some areas. There was severe water shortage and people standing with water pots had become synonymous with the city. To compound it you have treacherous summer which can make you look like grilled chicken with a few minutes travel under sun.

This time too, as in the past few years, it was a routine and normal monsoon with isolated rain spread over the city. When all hope of good rainfall was lost, came the D-day. The weather forecast predicted heavy rain fall as a low pressure area was seen near the city. As usual people left their umbrellas and went to office. But, this time around the forecast came true, in fact more than true. The day before the rain I was traveling back home from office and was able to see continuous and widespread rain. I knew it was a sign of heavy rain but did not expect in such a large scale. On October 27 the clouds opened all gates and rain water flooded most parts of the city. Rain was pouring continuously and let me tell you it did not stop for even a second. 21 cm of rainfall fell in less than 5 hours. I felt that a Mumbai flood was in the making. The place where I live, North Chennai, was affected the most as it is a low lying area. It looked like islands with water everywhere and houses in between them. Other parts of the city were spared neither. Water upto hip level water in front of my office in T Nagar, which is situated in the heart of the city. In between this rain we were continuously in touch with my cousin’s family who live in Korattur, a very low lying area. Around 11 am water entered his house and I went there to help keep household things in an elevated place and bring them to my house. What I saw there was painful. Water of around two feet has entered most of the houses. People living in ground floor have evacuated their homes and have either gone to first floor or have left to their relatives or friends place. People who are supposed to be well-to-do were fleeing like have-nots. It was such a sad sight to watch. It was worse in slums as water has entered their huts. For the first time in my life I prayed for the rain to stop as I really got bored with such incessant rainfall. Electricity was cut the entire day and I was listening to news in Radio. Finally the rain relented at night to much relief of chennaites.
The next day looked completely different. Water started to recede from residential places and most of the important roads looked dry. The City Corporation officials had pumped out water from some important road junctions and made sure the city is up and running. It was nice to see such a splendid job from them in a crisis situation.