CHENNAI // A week after the torrential rains abated, my parents and I flew to Chennai, where they live.
They had visited me in New Delhi during the worst of the flooding caused by the rain, sparing me considerable worry for their safety.
But we returned on Saturday, concerned about the state of our apartment and of our city.
At least 340 people have been confirmed dead in the floods that swept through Chennai and its neighbouring coastal areas in the first three days of December. According to Aon Blenfield, a British reinsurance broker, the floods caused US$3 billion (Dh11bn) in economic damages.
From Delhi, we had watched on television as water swamped the bridge near our house in Saidapet, an area in south Chennai. On Twitter, I read pleas for help and relief from Srinagar Colony, where our apartment building stands.
In the rare instances that we could reach our neighbours by phone from Delhi, they described the situation: no electricity for days, the water rising so high in the compound of our building that it submerged parked cars, no groceries or fresh food, spotty communications.
The situation was alarming. Our apartment is on the third floor, so while it was safe from flooding, we wondered if rain had come in through a half-open window or door. We also feared for the safety of people we knew. We had relatives and friends in the worst-hit areas; my grandmother, nearly 90 years old and living with my aunt, is in reasonable health. But if a medical emergency had occurred, it would have been impossible to reach a hospital.
From the air, as our plane circled above the city, we could see areas that remained waterlogged. The pools of water were deep black, indicating that sewage had mixed in; the water lapped almost a metre high in some places.
However, the road from the airport to our colony was clean and dry. It is a motorway that leads north from Chennai, and it must have been a priority for city authorities. Neat but massive mounds of rubbish sat by the roadside, awaiting collection.
Near our apartment building, one small street still had standing water, black and filthy, unable to flow away because the drains were blocked or full. Our compound was dry now, but our car was wrecked. The flood water had risen to roof level and trickled into the interiors to drench the seats, and under the hood to ruin the engine.
My father called our garage, eight kilometres away, to see if they could send someone to pick up the car.
“Everybody is calling us,” the receptionist said. “We don’t have enough men to go pick up all the cars that need to be fixed.” So we hired a tow-truck, for 3,000 rupees (Dh164), to take our car to the garage and add it to the crowd of vehicles awaiting repair.
Inside our apartment, we were luckier. No water had entered, and although we still go without power for eight or 10 hours every day, our telephone and the internet work. Our family is safe, as are our close friends.
But we know also that our good fortune is a result of our relative privilege. The newspapers are still full of reports about the stagnant water in low-income neighbourhoods, about families who have lost vital documents, and about the prohibitive costs of rebuilding homes.
Corpses continue to turn up, and people continue to die even though the rains are now over. On Sunday, The Hindu reported the tragic death of a 17-year-old named J Imran, who had volunteered in relief efforts during the floods and fallen grievously ill.
R Sunder, a freelance graphic designer who organised volunteers to deliver food packets during the rains, said many areas of the city remain in critical condition.
“The water and the trash are beginning to stink. There are health hazards, particularly if no clean drinking water is available,” Mr Sunder said.
“And while the attention during and just after the floods ensured that many people got help, the danger now is that attention has shifted elsewhere, and the momentum is slowing down.”
Mr Sunder himself had to return to work towards the middle of last week, having spent many days on his volunteering efforts. “But I’m still in touch with people who need help, and I’m trying to direct them to the relevant authorities,” he said. “I hope they get the assistance they need.”
Shyama Swaminathan, a doctor in a Chennai hospital, said that waterborne diseases typically appeared after a few weeks lag.
“As of now, we aren’t seeing too many people coming in with symptoms of cholera or leptospirosis or typhoid,” she said. “But it’s still early. If these diseases show themselves, it will be after some time, so this is the wrong moment for the city to let its guard down.”
ssubramanian@thenational.ae
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The%20pillars%20of%20the%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Strategy
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ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 366Nm
Price: Dh200,000
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Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
RACE CARD
4.30pm: Maiden Dh80,000 1,400m
5pm: Conditions Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 3 Dh300,000 1,400m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Group 2 Dh300,000 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (30-60) Dh80,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (40-70) Dh80,000 1,600m.
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Dubai World Cup Carnival Card:
6.30pm: Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.40pm: Zabeel Turf Listed $175,000 (T) 2,000m
8.15pm: Cape Verdi Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap $135,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,600m
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
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Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
Company%20Profile
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Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.