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Life comes to standstill in Chennai following heavy rain

     Chennai: Heavy rain brought life to a standstill in Chennai on Monday where at least 100 people have died due to the downpour. Incessant rains for the past two days have caused flooding in many low-lying areas in the city, disrupting normal life. Traffic snarls due to blocked roads flooded with knee-deep water posed problems for commuters and office-goers. "I was here at 10.00 am and now it is 11.50 ...for the last one hour, forty minutes, I have been stranded here on the road. All roads are blocked, water is everywhere," said Natrajan, a bus driver. "I started at 9 am from my place and for the past two hours...I have not crossed even 20 kilometres. It is really tough...it is really very tough, driving," said Natrajan, a lawyer. Met officials have forecast rains in the next 24 hours in the coastal area. "Yesterday's low pressure area over Sri Lanka and adjoining South East persists. For the last 24 hours, the northeast monsoon has been vigorous. As for the next 24 hours is concerned, rainfall is likely to occur at almost all places over costal Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry," said SR Ramanan, Director, Met department, Chennai. Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have struggled to cope with torrential rain since last month.