(Bloomberg) -- The worst deluge in a century in India’ssouthern Tamil Nadu state paralyzed Chennai, causing floods andclosing offices, factories and the airport in a metropolis of about9 million people that’s facing more rain.

Television images showed brown floodwater lapping at the wheelsof stranded aircraft Wednesday and families wading sometimesneck-deep in inundated streets. Factories curbed production asecond straight day, including those of Ford Motor Co. and BMWAG. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Infosys Ltd. and CognizantTechnology Solutions Corp. told staff to stay away from localoffices.

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The national forecaster said rains may continue to lash India’sfourth-largest city this week, threatening further disruptionin a hub for automobile manufacturing and informationtechnology services as the army and navy step up rescue efforts.The airport is due to remain closed until midday on Dec. 6 and 34aircraft are stranded there, including some belonging to budgetcarrier SpiceJet Ltd.

“I don’t think any flight is possible for at least a week,”Chennai International Airport Director Deepak Shastri said by phonefrom the city. “There’s a forecast for more rains, and we’ll needto clean up the debris in the entire field after that.”

A man runs through a bridge across an over-flowing AdyarRiver in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Wednesday, Dec. 2,2015. (AP Photo)

Chennai-based TVS Motor Co., which makes motorcycles andscooters, slid 4.9%, the most since Aug. 24, after saying rainfallin the past three weeks adversely affected production and sales.Shares in drug maker Natco Pharma Ltd., which shut down a planttemporarily due to flooding, slid for a third day.

Tamil Nadu declared public holidays on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 inthree areas, including Chennai.

Many manufacturers are based in or near the city, includingHyundai Motor Co., Ashok Leyland Ltd. and Renault SA. Daimler AGclosed a plant there due to the weather.

Rain forecast

The Indian Meteorological Department forecasts precipitation andthunderstorms in some parts of the city until Dec. 7. The next 48hours are critical for the rain situation in south India, thedepartment’s Director General L. S. Rathore said in New Delhi.

Three of Chennai’s four reservoirs are near full capacity, thelocal water department’s data show as of Wednesday.

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Some 600 personnel are due to arrive with rescue boats, divingequipment and medical response gear, said S. S. Guleria, a deputyinspector general at India’s National Disaster Response Force.

“It’s the first time Chennai has seen anything like this,” hesaid, adding so far there didn’t appear to be major causalitiesfrom the inundation.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu ChiefMinister J. Jayalalithaa spoke Tuesday about the unfoldingdisaster. The state government described the torrential rains asthe heaviest in more than a 100 years.

The city suffered a 1,218.6 millimeters of precipitation inNovember, three times more than normal, according to forecasterSkymet. The northeast monsoon typically sets in betweenOctober and December over India’s east coast, where Chennai islocated.

--With assistance from N. C. Bipindra, Subramaniam Sharma,Siddharth Philip, Ganesh Nagarajan, Kartikay Mehrotra, PratikParija, Ravil Shirodkar and Sam Nagarajan.

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