T.N. rains | With no help available, The Hindu Thoothukudi photographer wades through neck-deep water to get to safety

Residents of P and T Colony were marooned in their houses after the rains, but with no one rescuing them, had to wade through neck-deep water before finally making it to safety | Photo Credit: Rajesh N

Principal news photographer of The Hindu, N. Rajesh (56) in Thoothukudi has covered many natural calamities and violent protests over the last decade. But little did he think that he would be in a perilous situation when water entered his house in Pasumpon Nagar near P and T Colony after torrential rains pounded the district on Sunday (December 17, 2923) night.

Fortunately, Mr. Rajesh’s wife and twin daughters, aged five, had gone safely to her parent’s house in nearby Millerpuram on Sunday morning. Mr Rajesh however, had remained at his house, built three years ago, even as rains continued in the district and power supply was cut off by 9 p.m.

At around 12.30 a.m. on Monday, he received a flurry of phone calls from his neighbours about water levels rising in the locality. Mr. Rajesh then realised that ankle-deep water had entered his house. He immediately started to ensure that all important items in the house were placed at higher levels. He collected his camera bag, one set of clothes and an umbrella and quickly climbed up the stairs to reach the terrace amidst the rain. However, he was not alone on the terrace in the newly-formed residential area. Many other residents of the neighbourhood, which has around 60 families, were already at their respective house terraces holding umbrellas for cover.

Frantic calls to the Thoothukudi district Disaster Management centre evoked no response. “Only on Monday morning, did I come to know that the phone lines at the DM centre in the Collectorate were damaged due to inundation of the ground floor,” Mr. Rajesh said.

Mr. Rajesh then called the Mayor, N.P. Jagan and Corporation Commissioner, C. Dinesh Kumar, seeking help. Both promised to rescue the residents of the locality, but many low-lying residential areas were on their radar, as the evacuation of people to relief centres had begun. Fire and rescue service personnel were busy elsewhere with the only inflated boat they had, said Mr. Rajesh.

After no signs of any help coming from any quarter, Mr. Rajesh along with a neighbour’s family members, got down from the terraces around 9.30 a.m on Monday. They got into neck-deep water, holding on to each other. They finally managed to reach a spot where the water was only knee-level.

Scores of residents from P and T Colony joined them as they waded through the knee-deep water. “We had to be extra careful as the manholes could have been left open,” he said. After more than 90 minutes of effort, Mr. Rajesh finally reached his in-laws’ place safely.

Amidst all of these ordeals for nearly 12 hours, Mr. Rajesh kept taking photographs, showcasing what life had been like for for many of the residents of P and T Colony when water invaded their homes.

Mr. Rajesh, who has borne the brunt of violent protests more than once in the past, this time, experienced the fury of nature.