Civic infrastructure worth at least Rs. 2,000 crore is estimated to be damaged due to rain in the city. The Chennai Corporation has started compiling a list of facilities damaged in the rain, which include roads, streetlights and drains.
The damage to civic infrastructure in each of the 200 wards of the Corporation is expected to range from Rs. 5 crore to 15 crore.
For instance, more than 60 percent of the 232 interior roads in ward 105 in the Arumbakkam region have been damaged.
Over 25 percent of the stretches in the ward are cement-concrete roads. Many such roads have also been damaged in the rains. The change in specification of the roads is likely to have caused the damage.
“Most of the roads were relaid in the last four years. We have shifted a ration shop to an Amma Canteen due to inundation. Key stretches including MMDA Colony Main Road, Razak Garden Main Road, Vijayakapuram Main Road and portions of 100-Feet Road maintained by the Highways have not been damaged,” said V. Sugumarbabu, AIADMK councillor of ward 105.
Twenty-two of the 127 streets in ward 58 have already been damaged.
“The condition of roads including Ritherdon Road and Perambur Barracks Road has worsened,” said DMK Councillor T. Kalarimuthu.
With rising water stagnation on EVK Sampath Road, Vepery High Road and Sydenhams Road, the bitumen pavement is expected to fall apart due to heavy vehicular movement.
Many of the roads are covered in the liability period. Chennai Corporation is expected to make contractors repair such roads, saving at least 50 percent of the cost.
“Most of the LED lights in the added areas have stopped working. There is not enough staff to repair these facilities,” said P.V. Tamilselvan, Indian National Congress councillor of ward 91.
“We may need at least Rs. 5 crore to repair damaged roads in our ward. We have a total of 229 roads,” Mr. Tamilselvan said.
Roads such as Conran Smith Road, Peters Road and Avvai Shanmugam Salai have already fallen apart due to rains.
Chennai Corporation has spent more than Rs. 2,000 crore annually for capital works over the past few years.
