The city does not seem to have learnt any lessons from last December’s disastrous floods, an audit report suggests. Volunteers of the Arappor Iyakkam say that the lack of preparation for the northeast monsoon could have a dire impact on the city.
The audit carried out by the organisation in association with Magasool suggests that the State government had not learnt any lessons from the previous monsoons on safeguarding the city from flooding. Releasing the audit report on Chennai waterways titled ‘Is Chennai ready to face the upcoming monsoon?’ on Thursday, the members highlighted the background to the flooding of areas such as Sidco Nagar in Villivakkam, Mugalivakkam, Mudichur, Pallavaram and Chromepet and Pallikaranai and surrounding areas.
Jayaram Venkatesan, coordinator, Arappor Iyakkam, said the dumping of debris from Metro Rail work sites and the construction of pumping stations by the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) had completely blocked the drainage facilities leaving residents of Sidco Nagar to face the brunt of flooding.
Similarly, the lack of desilting of the Periya Eri, Keelkattalai Lake and Narayanapuram Lake, which drain into the Pallikaranai Marshland, led to the inundation of areas surrounding Pallikaranai. Encroachments on the once sprawling Thirupananthaal Lake near Pammal were the primary cause of flooding in Pallavaram and Chromepet. Regarding the reasons for flooding in Mugalivakkam and nearby areas, the members pointed out the poor maintenance of the Mugalivakkam Canal, which has not been desilted for more than 15 years, and the damage to it was the reason for several areas getting submerged in rainwater.
The voluntary organisation said officials of the Water Resources Department, Metrowater and Chennai Corporation were ill-equipped to manage similar floods in the future.
P. Nakkeeran of the voluntary organisation said the Public Works Department through a Government Order had planned to widen the Buckingham Canal from 20 metres to 100 metres for a length of 13 kilometres at an estimated cost of Rs. 78 crore which was later revised to Rs. 104 crore, but the officials have widened it only for a length of 4.50 km in a few stretches.
