What: The December 2015 floods showed Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar in Thiruvanmiyur to be extremely flood-prone. “With MG Road on the north, Kalakshetra Road on the south, LB Road on the west and Lakshmipuram on the east, our locality was like a bowl,” says P. Natarajan, president of Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association. Water was not draining from the colony and a majority of the houses had come under knee-deep water. Although workers engaged by the Greater Chennai Corporation came with motors to drain out the water, residents realised it was only a temporary arrangement. There were blocks in the stormwater drains and the channels were not inter-connected to ensure free flow of water.
When: Four months following the December 2015 floods
How: “An architect residing in the colony was consulted and a thorough study was conducted to identify the clogs and gradient-related problems in the SWD network,” says Natarajan, adding that the campaign was a giant step towards resolving the issue of waterlogging as well as bringing residents together.
The Corporation was planning to re-lay the roads and the first thing residents did was put the work on hold.
A separate SWD team was formed with representation from each of the nine streets in the locality. The residents would meet twice a week.
Once a week, a team would head to Ripon Buildings to have a discussion with officials of the SWD department.
Sometimes, the contractor would not turn up and residents had to follow up with the officials. Identifying the inlets was a challenge.
“Besides the residents, the iron wallah, autorickshaw drivers and security guards who knew the area well, were of great assistance to us. Between Kalakshetra Road and MG Road, we identified over 20 new inlets that were hidden,” says Dinakar Rao, a senior citizen.
Lesson learnt: Regular follow-ups on telephone and in person helped speed up the work. Residents never got into complaint mode. The higher-ups were constantly updated about the progress of the work. Residents also had a thanksgiving function once the work was completed.
