The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : After the flood of traffic, an ordeal by water

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Wednesday, Nov 01, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

After the flood of traffic, an ordeal by water

Staff Reporter

Waterlogging brings misery for residents of T. Nagar; Kodambakkam also badly hit

DEVASTATED: A resident narrates her woes to councillor Suseela Gopalakrishnan (left) on Tuesday. (Right) A resident bales out floodwater from her home at Murthy Aiyar Street, Vyasarpadi. Life has been difficult for residents here, who are buying wate r for Re.1 per pot. — Photos: S.S. Kumar and V. Ganesan

CHENNAI : If during festival season T. Nagar is inundated with traffic, then during monsoon it is floodwater.

Several parts of T. Nagar and Kodambakkam continue to reel under under two feet of water. Children and adults have to make their way through knee-deep water in the three streets of Aziz Nagar, Subramaniam Nagar and Parankusapuram in Kodambakkam and in the streets off Thirumalai Pillai Road in T. Nagar.

Rainwater enters houses

J. Kanagalakshmi, 65, a tailor, lives on the ground floor of a rented house in Parankusapuram, near Railway Border Road in Kodambakkam. Her son runs an embroidery shop in T. Nagar. Her house was under waist-deep water till Tuesday.

The unhappy woman said: "Water suddenly entered my house on Friday night. How will I repay my customers for the damaged cloth? I don't know what to do. My son and daughter-in-law were upset and left for her mother's house. I am now staying with the landlord on the first floor."

Pankajam, the landlady said: "I have been living here for 40 years. Sometimes water enters the house.

"We built barriers last year but water still entered the house."

Suseela Gopalakrishnan, councillor of ward 124 in Kodambakkam, was on the scene early on Tuesday to supervise pumping of water. After visiting Kanagalakshmi, she said: "I don't know what to do. Six 60 hp motors are at work since morning. Water is being pumped into the Mambalam Canal. We hope to drain all water by tonight."

On G.N. Chetty Road and Thirumalai Pillai Road in T. Nagar, there were two feet water in some apartment complexes and half a dozen streets branching off along the stretch for the past four days.

Water was pumped out of Bazulla Road into TP Road, which flooded G.N. Chetty Road. Residents said floodingis an annual event round here.

In Yogambal Street in T. Nagar, several houses are under two feet of water. Complaints to Corporation officials have not helped.

Bus services withdrawn

Four days ago, MTC halted all services through Kaliamman Koil Street connecting Arcot Road and Koyambedu. Routes 15F (Parrys-Vadapalani), 17A (Vadapalani-Broadway), 5D (Vadapalani-Mylapore) and a service to Manali from Vadapalani besides a number of cut-services up to Sarada Vidyalaya in T. Nagar for school children have been withdrawn.

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