Swamps for Home with No Electricity or Drinking Water in Flooded Chennai

Chennai: For the third consecutive day, several low lying  pockets of Velacherry in Chennai are without power.

The floods in Chennai have turned the office of Pariti Bharati and Akaash Chaturvedi, both techies, into a refuge for their friends and colleagues. Ever since their localities have become swamps with waist-deep water, they don't stay much at home. There's water everywhere but none for domestic use.

"We take toothbrush to office and we go early and get ready. We even carry an extra pair of clothing as we walk in waters. We use induction stove and so we can't prepare food," said Akaash.

Pariti says the water supply is completely cut. "Only today tankers came. Without electricity there's no light and it's so dangerous to walk in waist deep waters".

However Chennai Corporation's Regional Deputy Commissioner Anna Durai assures that the water will be drained soon. "Discharge from the lake nearby has come down. So we can easily pump out this water".

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In the neighbouring Kancheepuram district's Thiruneer Malai area, Nirmal and his family had suffered worse before army boats rescued them. Water entered their house and seven members of the family and their pet dog had to move to the terrace for two days without electricity and food.  All electronic appliances conked off because of inundation.

"Imagine seven of us in a little room. We called police, fire service but no one came. But now we are happy the army brought us to safety," Nirmal said.

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The city received very heavy rain fall over the last week. However Monday's 31 cm rain flooded the city and crippled normal life. Around three thousand people had to be rescued by army's boats and choppers and food was air dropped.