The much-awaited monsoon downpour, the city’s only hope to tide over a drinking water crisis, has turned into a disaster of sorts as commutes became roller-coaster rides, and water entered houses.
The monsoon preparedness of the city was yet again exposed on Thursday as many commuters chose to travel by trains fearing traffic snarls and rain-battered roads. Some areas also reported sewage mixing with rain water. A total of 14 trees were uprooted in the downpour.
Over 9 cm of rain was received in Puzhal and nearly 8 cm in Nungambakkam, Guindy, Madhavaram, Kelambakkam and Meenambakkam from Wednesday evening. Though the city experienced only intermittent showers on Thursday, it will have to brace for more rain on Friday owing to the low pressure area over Gulf of Mannar, adjoining south Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
On Thursday, motorists had to wade through roads covered with sheets of water in Madipakkam, Villivakkam, Kolathur, Palavakkam and Vyasarpadi. Chronically flood-prone roads in Perambur and Vysarpadi such as Stephenson Road and B.B. Road were under knee-deep water.
Rains also exposed the lacunae in the stormwater drain network in many low-level areas, including Thirumalai Nagar in Kolathur. Water entered several houses in Sridevi Vaishnavi Nagar, Thirumullaivoyal, as the stormwater drain had not been linked properly.
S. Viswanathan, secretary of the residents’ welfare association, Sridevi Vaishnavi Nagar, said: “Overflowing water from the drains has been stagnating on the roads and vacant plots for many years during the monsoon. Officials are yet to take action.”
Incomplete infrastructure works in several areas, including Ram Nagar north in Madipakkam and Maraimalaiadigal Street in Chitlapakkam, also added to residents’ woes. “We have to endure damaged roads on rainy days. There is no solution to this for now as roads will be laid only after sewer and water lines are laid,” said Prabha Vikram of Ram Nagar North Extension.
In Velachery, the slow progress of the widening project on Taramani Link Road and blocked drain network inundated several neighbouring residential localities. S. Kumararaja, secretary, Federation of Velachery Welfare Associations, said rain water could not be released into Pallikaranai marshland due to blocks in the stormwater drains.
The downpour also left many potholes on roads such as Velachery Main Road, Royapettah High Road, Luz Church Road and Medavakkam Main Road. The shoddy patch work was exposed as the top layer of roads such as 18 Main Road, Anna Nagar, gave away after the rains. Sewage mixing with rainwater was another problem for residents of 20 Main Road, Anna Nagar.
Uninterrupted power supply, except in a few instances, came as a solace to residents.
A senior official of Tangedco confirmed that there were few power disruptions in the city, except where power supply was cut as a precaution.
However, Chandrasekaran of Virugambakkam was among those who went without electricity on Thursday. He said there had been no power in his area since 3 a.m. on Thursday morning. “The EB officials have not come to check the issue and we have been unable to use the motor for water,” he said.
Denying that there were power cuts that lasted for many hours in south Chennai, officials of Tangedco said in that in a few areas, braker faults or snapping of overhead cables caused power disruptions and they were attended to promptly.
(Reporting by K. Lakshmi, T. Madhavan and Vivek Narayanan, R. Srikanth and Evelyn Ratnakumar)
