While the entire city was tackling the problem of flooding, residents of Mylapore, especially those living on the Mada Streets that connect Kapaleeshwarar Temple and Chitrakulam Temple, were fortunate to have roads that remained largely unaffected.
The presence of two temple tanks coupled with a well-planned century-old drainage system in the neighbourhood has always left this neighbourhood relatively free of inundation.
Long-time resident of Sannadi Street, Mylapore, V.P. Narashimhan says there was no water stagnation on his street.
“All the four roads leading to the Kapli temple dried off as soon as the rain stopped. This is because of the presence of the tank. Also, the drainage system here is very good. It is planned in such a way that water runs into the tanks and then percolates easily. Though Chitrakulam tank is brimming, Kapleeshwarar tank is not full to its capacity and can still take in a lot of water. It was only when one stepped beyond and reached Luz Corner that one saw signs of flooding. I don’t remember these streets being flooded ever. Even back in 1976 and 1985, when the Adyar river was in spate, we had no such issues.”
The underground sewage and drainage system in Mylapore is believed to have been developed during 1880s and 1890s.
The work was pioneered by Pennathur Subramaniya Iyer, the founder of P.S. Educational Society, who was appointed the Assistant Commissioner of Chennai Corporation in-charge of the Mylapore Division.
“According to his biography, ‘the underground sewage and drainage work was introduced and completed after replacing the open drains, which was a hot-bed of infections.’ Many believe the design of the system to be effective in tackling stagnation,” says K.V.S. Gopalakrishnan, secretary, P.S. Educational Society.
According to The Hindu Archives, “The underground drainage scheme, first introduced in the 8th Municipal Division, Mylapore, was opened by the President, Sir George Moore” on June 6, 1898.
