After a few days of relief from incessant rains, Chennai, the Singara or Beautiful city turned into Venice with roads waterlogged and several homes getting inundated owing to the heavy rains that poured throughout Friday night and Saturday morning.

The rains and the subsequent inundation have put normal lives out of gear in the city, with the weather department sending out a warning that more rains are likely on Saturday and it has issued  a red alert for Chennai and several districts in the state. 

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Chennai: Commuters wade through the waterlogged streets of Chennai as heavy rains leave the city flooded, on Oct 22, 2020. (Photo: IANS)IANS

More than 20 districts in Tamil Nadu experienced continuous rains and the government has declared a holiday for educational institutions in 23 districts. Several localities in Chennai went under water and subways have been closed for traffic.

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In many places, traffic has been diverted due to waterlogged roads. With increased water inflow, the shutters of the Chembarambakkam lake were raised to let out surplus water, further aggravating the flood situation in the city. In the districts, several acres of paddy fields went under water damaging the crops.

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IANS

Meanwhile the weather department has predicted heavy rains for Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is expected to meet Governor R.N. Ravi to brief him about the measures to mitigate the problems faced by the people due to heavy rains.

(With inputs from IANS)