The northeast monsoon is much awaited since it typically brings the bulk of the rain that Chennai gets. But when the monsoon sets and it pours, city roads quickly go under sheets of water until the clogged stormwater drains are able to carry the large volume of water to the nearest canals.
On Monday evening, the city experienced heavy showers. In a sign of things to come, commuters, especially on two-wheelers, were caught in traffic jams and became soaking wet while negotiating waterlogged roads.
Many residents and activists question the city’s monsoon preparedness. While officials across various departments claim the city is ready, the devil seems to be in the details. There are reports of projects not taken up or stalled, or that have not obtained government approval, although Corporation officials declare that things are under control.
Caught napping
Though the Water Resources Department has initiated projects to restore the Adyar and Cooum rivers, much remains to be done to desilt the other waterways. Unlike previous years, when the work to dredge waterways running to a distance of 100 km used to be executed in August or September, several waterways like Otteri Nullah await desilting this year due to paucity of funds and lack of government sanction.
“We have identified vulnerable points like Manapakkam near Adyar River and Kathirvedu near the Madhavaram surplus course that are prone to flooding. We will continue to monitor them during the monsoon to prevent inundation,” said an official.
Another measure that could have helped in mitigating floods and also boosting the storage capacity for the city’s water supply was the proposal to desilt the four major reservoirs in Poondi, Cholavaram, Chembarambakkam and Red Hills. A minimum of 4,000 mcft of water could have been additionally stored in the reservoirs if the project had been implemented. But, this proposal remains on paper.
The Corporation and Highways Department too seem to be lagging when it comes to preparedness. “New drains are under construction only in the south. In the core areas, some construction was taken up last year. That is all. This year, waterlogging happened in several stretches on Poonamallee High Road and Anna Salai. Our drains are still in bits and pieces. We need a comprehensive study of water logging on highways since they are the major roads in the city,” said a former engineer of the department.
Former Mayor and current Saidapet MLA M. Subramaniam said that in the past, meetings of all the departments used to be called and each one’s responsibility would be chartered out. “We used to have a book with important phone numbers in each department, including the fire services, agriculture and fisheries. For the past six years, that has not been done. Periodic desilting of stormwater drains is not being taken up. Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, ₹1,448 crore was spent on constructing 500 km of drains but no engineer in the Corporation knows where those are and in many places, they remain incomplete and are not connected to any canal or lead-off drains. I believe that the civic body, like the State government, is in a state of suspended animation,” he said.
Residents weigh in
S. Kasturirangan, secretary, Choolaimedu Exnora, said that stormwater drains in many parts of the city have not been desilted for two years. “Last year too, the drains were not cleared. When you ask officials of the Corporation, they cite a Supreme Court ruling and say that manual cleaning cannot be done and there are no vehicles to clear the drains. The rainwater either pushes the sludge and runs through the drains or runs over the roads in many places. We are hardly ready. This is certainly not the manner in which government agencies should prepare,” he says.
The various departments must come together to resolve issues, especially the mosquito menace, said residents. Porur resident Usha Shankaranarayanan, who is suffering from chikungunya, said the garbage in her area had not been cleared since Deepavali. “There are lots of mosquitoes but no fogging is done. When I complain, someone from the health department sprays some insecticide. Otherwise nothing happens. If it rains, the water will mix with the garbage and it will be a mess. Many people here suffer from fevers. We need a concerted effort from all the departments,” she added.
Not just homes but businesses too are worried. K. Mariappan, president, Covelong Salt Manufacturers and Merchants Association, said that the only silver lining this year was that a near-normal monsoon had been predicted and we may not have extreme incidents. “Every year we get flooded. In 2015, it was really bad. Over 2,000 acres remained under several feet of floodwater for days together. This year however, thankfully, the PWD has taken steps to keep the estuary at Muttukadu open throughout the year. This will ensure water from south Chennai runs into the sea. The fishermen and tourists to Muttukadu are happy at the influx of clean sea water. We hope things will be better this year,” he said.
Better in the past
Residents recall a time when things were better. N. Vasantha, a resident of the city since 1964-65, recalled that water used to run off quickly and not stay on the roads. “Even if we had a cyclone, the water used to run into the vast open areas and many tanks. Rain used to be a pleasure in those times and it was worth the drive to the beach. Now I think twice before venturing outside during the rain,” she says.
Chennai is a low-lying area and so, naturally prone to water-logging. However, residential areas that are very old have come up on lands that are higher than the rest and are less prone to water-logging.
Care Earth Trust’s Jayshree Vencatesan, who has studied the city’s flood plain, the Pallikaranai Marshland, for several years now, said that the Great Trigonometrical Survey was used to choose sites that were not vulnerable to water-logging for residential localities by the British. “Earlier, water used to build up slowly but drain quickly. Around 85% of the city and its outskirts were in a condition to absorb water, but now only 15% can. What has happened is water from upstream, running towards the sea, has increased since the wetlands upstream have disappeared. Also, open spaces around homes have also reduced drastically and every inch of ground is covered with concrete so there is no space for water to soak into the ground,” she pointed out.
Residents, who have been observing the rains, feel that mere short-term work like removing silt from stormwater drains would not do. What is necessary is long-term planning to ensure that the roads remain free of water. Valmiki Nagar resident M. Kandaswamy said that earlier, when roads were laid, space used to be kept between the footpath and the tar surface to allow for groundwater percolation. But now roads are laid end-to-end, not allowing that. “Though homes have created rainwater harvesting structures that help in many cases with augmenting drinking water resources, it is not enough since the run-off is quite high. Perhaps, the government can consider setting up percolation pits on poromboke lands that it owns,” he explained.
Proactive residents
More proactive residents’ participation is a must, feel activists. Bhoomika Trust’s Aruna Subramaniam, who has been working primarily on disaster relief and rehabilitation, said that Chennai struggles to cope with rain and water logging every year. Though the Chennai Corporation is quite aware of potential problem areas, some parts of the city still do not have stormwater drains. In some areas the drains are damaged, and in others, they are clogged.
“When the rain is excessive, you have the possibility of water levels going up to 5 feet high in about 30-odd locations. Post the 2015 deluge, you could have had a master plan to tackle this, but obviously this has not happened. I think it is time for active citizen engagement with authorities in affected areas to demand solutions. The city has to have at least a three-year master plan to tackle the water logging issue by categorising it as moderate to severe. This should be made public,” Ms. Subramaniam said.
Likewise, waterbodies within the city have to be listed out with their current status. A one-year plan to deepen, desilt, strengthen the bunds has to be made, inviting participation from corporates and citizen groups. Citizens will have to recognise that unless they have a sense of ownership and demand action and accountability, things will not change, she added.
Doing its duty
Corporation officials reiterated they were doing their best. Monsoon preparedness meetings are being held periodically, and coordination planning meetings with other departments are also being conducted. A range of issues, from keeping pumps and boats ready to stocking of medicines, is being taken care of.
The officials say that city roads under the Corporation have stormwater drains (SWD) running to a length of 1,894 km. The Corporation has taken up desilting work at a cost of ₹18 crore of which ₹10 crore is for desilting and the rest is for small repairs in the network. “SWDs are functioning very well. We are bringing in additional manpower and clearing the silt since the monsoon is about to set. If there are points where water is stagnating, residents can call us on 1913. We are checking complaints that come from residents and in most, cases the silt has been removed. Contractors are not getting paid unless water goes through the drain in the next rain,” said an official.
“Not every road/street/lane requires a drain since water in many places runs off to the nearest low-lying points from where it has to be channelised via the drains to canals,” the official explained.
