An aerial view shows vehicles moving on roads in a flood-affected area in Chennai, India, December 6, 2015. - Reuters
NEW DELHI: It is the end of the year and many from the Tamil diaspora including from Malaysia often make it a point to visit the state of Tamil Nadu in India.
However, this time around many had to cancel or postpone their trips following the worst floods that hit the capital city of Chennai. For those already there, it has been a nightmare.
More than 90 Malaysians were trapped in a hotel, along with thousands of students and tourists being stranded in their hostels and hotels respectively with much of the city inundated.
Chennai was literally submerged with water reaching more than two metres in many places. Roads and electricity were cut off, the airport inundated and closed, houses washed away or submerged under water. Chennai's 4 million residents were in a desperate situation and most had no where to run.
Even I received text messages and calls from friends and relatives who sought help. The Malaysian consulate general office in Chennai when contacted said they were doing everything to help Malaysians stranded there.
Second wave hit within two weeks
Tamil Nadu's woes began in mid-November, with the heavy monsoon rains unleashing floods in low lying areas. Tamil Nadu government and relevant authorities were warned on the second wave of rain by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
However, no one had anticipated that it would be the worst downpours that that the capital city Chennai would have seen in 100 years. The city recorded rainfalls of 40mm within two days, the total volume that it would normally record for the whole two month period of the monsoon season.
The residents and authorities were caught off guard. As the water level at the Chembarambakkam dam rose to dangerous levels, the authorities literally opened the flood gates. The water from the dam was released into the Adyar river that cuts across much of Chennai.
The river soon burst its banks, leaving Chennai underwater.
The scale of flood even forced prime minister Narendra Modi who had just returned from Paris after the Global Climate Conference to make a quick trip to Chennai to take stock of the situation.
Modi in fact pledged further 1,000 crore rupees (about RM666 million) relief aid to the Tamil Nadu government, after the initial allocation of 940 crores (about RM626 million) following the first wave of floods.
The known factors
Many blamed the calamity on the global climate changes and the El Nino effect. However, many were also critical on the local factors that worsened the situation.
Several leading local TV news channels here in New Delhi and Chennai carried round the clock coverage on the floods. They blamed the absence of monsoon drains and illegal constructions along major rivers and waterways close to the city.
Media blamed the current AIADMK government lead by former silver screen idol J.Jayalalitaa and the previous government of DMK for the absence of proper city planning.
Chennai has seen tremendous development over the decade, but still lacks in basic infrastructure like proper drainage and sewerage system. Lack of enforcement and corruption adds to the woes.
Few lesson learn
The flood left thousands homeless and hungry. Initially no help was forthcoming until some volunteer groups and the security forces were deployed.
The state government went silent and elected representatives were no where to be seen.
Many were critical of the poor rescue and relief efforts. Even Kollywood superstar Kamal Hassan was reported critical of relief efforts. Jayalalitaa's government was quick to rebuke Kamal and labeled him as the "political puppet" of DMK, reported India Today.
With the number of deaths exceeding 450 people in Tamil Nadu itself, the media continues to highlight poor coordination on rescue and relief efforts.
They reported that only teams visible on the ground were from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian army.
This is mainly due to poor coordination among relief agencies and civil authorities with state authorities lacking expertise and experience to handle the situation. This is something surprising as flood is something regular in Tamil Nadu. - Bernama
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