Residential pockets in Ullagaram–Puzhuthivakkam and Madipakkam, among the few areas merged with Chennai Corporation three years ago, continue to suffer the brunt of damage caused due to rains.
The rainfall of 12.2 millimetres recorded in Tambaram for the 24 hours ending 8 a.m. on Monday was enough to inconvenience students on their way to school after the Deepavali break and people rushing for work on the first day of the week.
The overnight rains on Sunday left the neighbouring localities of Madipakkam and Ullagaram completely soaked. Resident of these localities, known for the poor state of basic amenities, had to contend with slushy roads, inundated streets and stagnated rain water, contaminated with sewage.
There was an improvement in the situation by Tuesday morning as there were no rains during the preceding two days, but with more showers in store, they were bracing for the large scale inundation they faced during every monsoon, residents said.
Ram Nagar and Sadasivam Nagar are located at the tail-end of Ullagaram and Madipakkam, very close to the Pallikaranai marshland. Rain water from across the city’s southern suburbs drains into the marshland and stagnates in the two localities, pointed out K.A. Santhosh, a resident and an activist.
“This has been the case as far as I can remember for more than a decade. The slightest amount of rains is enough to cause water stagnation all over. Due to the increase in the height of the Madipakkam–Velachery Link Road, water flows down faster into our locality from the slightly elevated road surface,” said L. Elangovan, a resident.
He pointed to the layers of sewage that had stagnated over half of Madipakkam–Velachery Link Road. The problem of stagnating sewage, if not addressed immediately, was a potential health hazard, he said. Residents also complained of damaged bitumen-topped roads and the accumulated slush on roads dug up for the underground drainage project in Ullagaram.
Staff at the Perungudi zone (no. 14) of the Corporation said there had received no major complaints and even minor issues were attended to immediately. However, specific cases of sewage stagnation that had not been brought to their attention so far would also be looked into, the staff added.
The level of rainfall was very low they said, dispelling residents’ fears of a possible outbreak of diseases.
