Modi to visit flooded Chennai, Rajnath calls the situation worrisome

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Chennai to take stock of the situation arising due to the devastating floods. Briefing the Lok Sabha over the situation in Tamil Nadu, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that in the past few days, the state has turned into a mini island due to the incessant rains and flooding.

Rajnath said that the Prime Minister will be taking steps after assessing the situation on the ground. Central government has released Rs 940.92 crore for relief work.

He also informed the House that the death toll in Tamil Nadu due to floods has gone up to 269. He added that 40% mobile services in the state have been disrupted and power supply has also been cut off in several areas to avoid electrocution.

Before leaving to visit the rain-battered state, Modi tweeted "Leaving for Chennai to take stock of the situation arising due to the devastating floods." The Centre has described the situation in Chennai as "worrisome".

For the first time in over 40 years, the water has risen rapidly on the river breaching the road and the Maraimalai Adigal bridge in Saidapet cutting the arterial Anna Salai (Mount Road), rendering it out of bounds for motorists.

Rains abated in Chennai on Thursday giving relief to people tormented by the heavy downpour of the last three days but excessive discharge of water last night from Chembarambakkam lake on the outskirts flooded new areas of the city threatening to uproot people from their homes.

The fresh flooding of the streets in the heart of the city in areas like Kodambakkam and T.Nagar and Ashok Nagar has been caused by the release of an estimated 30,000 cusecs of water from the Chembarambakkam lake, one of city's source of drinking water.

The sky is overcast without any fresh rainfall and people are worried about the forecast of showers over the next three days.