Torrential rains pound Chennai, 105 relief camps set up in city

Torrential downpour threw normal life out of gear in several parts of the metropolis and neighbouring districts on Friday even as the death toll in rain-related incidents mounted to eight in the state.

Rains lashed the city overnight. Though there was some respite during the day, but it started raining heavily towards the evening.

Sharp showers battered parts of Chennai such as Mylapore, Foreshore Estate, southern suburbs of Tambaram, Chrompet and Pallavaram.

A government release said 105 relief camps have been set up in chennai.

Facing criticism over the handling of rains in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister K Palaniswami visited several water-logged parts of the city and its suburbs, insisting that his government was working on a “war-footing”.

Massive water-logging in parts of #TamilNadu followed by heavy rainfall: Visuals from #Chennai's Sunnambu Kolathur area pic.twitter.com/9C8UWGWC38

— ANI (@ANI) November 3, 2017

He was accompanied by his deputy O Panneerslevam and senior officials.

Schools and colleges, closed since October 31, remained shut in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts, as the Tamil Nadu government appealed to private firms to allow their employees to work from home.

The Marina Beach area recorded a whopping 30 cm of precipitation.

A middle-aged farmer was electrocuted at Manal Agaram near Tiruvarur when he stepped on a snapped live wire lying under water in his field, police said, raising the death toll in rain-related incidents to eight since October 27, when the northeast monsoon arrived.