Heavy rain floods Chennai roads, disrupts traffic, causes power outages

CHENNAI: Heavy downpours on Wednesday night left several parts of Chennai inundated, causing traffic chaos and widespread power outages. Rain, which began late in the evening, intensified quickly, resulting in severe waterlogging in many areas.

Certain western suburbs faced localised, intense showers measuring between 80mm and 100mm within just an hour, according to weather bloggers.

Rain affected several key areas, leaving roads like those in T Nagar, Ashok Nagar, and Vadapalani waterlogged. Traffic on these routes came to a standstill as vehicles struggled to move on the submerged roads. In several instances, vehicles, including two-wheelers and auto-rickshaws, were stranded.

The Perambur High Road subway was closed due to flooding. Duraisamy subway, which connects T Nagar to West Mambalam, and Harrington Road subway were severely impacted. While smaller vehicles found it impossible to traverse these stretches, only larger SUVs managed to make their way across the flooded areas.

GST Road, one of the city’s major arterial roads, remained motorable in its central lanes, though its side lanes were heavily waterlogged, leading to major traffic jams. Commuters faced long delays, particularly in the stretch heading towards Tambaram, where vehicles, especially trucks and buses, added to the gridlock. Some frustrated drivers began using the wrong side of the road, further worsening the already chaotic situation.

On the city’s outskirts, the ongoing sewerage and infrastructure projects in areas like Madhanandapuram, Manapakkam, and Mugalivakkam have left roads in poor condition, and the rains have exacerbated the issue. These roads were dug up for underground pipeline installation ahead of the northeast monsoon, leaving them prone to flooding. Similar disruptions were seen on the Mount Poonamallee Road, where vehicles were delayed for over 30 minutes due to Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) work.

Adding to the chaos, several areas, including Kolathur, Vadapalani, KK Nagar and Ambattur, experienced power outages as a result of transformer tripping due to lightning and thunder. Tangedco officials said that transformers could not be immediately recharged for safety reasons and would be switched back on in phases. In some locations, such as Kovur, overhead power cables snapped, leaving residents without electricity until repairs were under way.

Residents affected by rain-related issues were urged by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to report problems to their control room through the 1913 helpline.


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