Though factors like unseasonal rains are cited as reasons for the floods in the southern districts, some of the damage caused to certain places could have been prevented if necessary precautionary measures were taken, said officials.
While rains and floods could not be prevented, some human activities carried out in the region, which brought the area under water, could have been prevented if necessary actions were taken, said residents.
Korampallam tank breach allowed a significant amount of water to enter into the city and Puckle canal, one of the major canals conducting water from the city to the sea, could not contain all the water from the tank.
Water from waterbodies in Kadambur, Ottapidaram and Kayathar, which entered the city from the northern side, also inundated many areas.
Many residents and politicians alleged that the bunds of Korampallam tank were broken by Public Works Department to let out some water as the level kept increasing from December 17.
Speaking to The Hindu, Thoothukudi Mayor P. Jegan said, “Though the allegation was made by many, it was not confirmed.” The PWD officials, instead of opening the tank abruptly, could have released the water before the rain started, he added.
While this was cited as one of the reasons for the floods, another issue was the construction of a wall near new Pudukkottai bridge across Uppar stream, which obstructed the water flow in the canal and diverted it to submerge some low-lying areas, including the Collectorate.
The private lands on the either side of the bridge were elevated for commercial purposes. One of the property owners in 2012 dumped copper slag from Sterlite Copper plant on his 10-acre land.
During the 2015 heavy rains, the elevated portion along the banks, in addition to preventing the water from flowing through the canal, let the copper slag get mixed with the water.
The public and activists accused the Sterlite Copper unit of dumping waste on lands, polluting natural resources. A show-cause notice was reportedly sent to the unit by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, accusing it of dumping about 3.25 lakh tonnes of copper slag on the land.
In its reply, Vedanta. Ltd reportedly said it had obtained permission from the State and Central Pollution Control Board to use the copper slag for filling up low-lying areas. It was only after this it supplied copper slag to private landowners, the company said.
To prevent the copper slag from mixing with the water, the landowner built a wall around his land.
An industrialist from Thoothukudi said construction of a barrier was suggested to prevent the copper slag spreading from land. “But this completely prevented the water flow on one side of the stream. During 2002, when the bridge was constructed, the water flow was seamless. But with the rise of land on the bank, about half of the stream got blocked,” he added.
Instead of ordering removal of the highly dangerous copper slag, the government suggested building a wall which made no sense, he said, adding the elevated land diverted the water into Thoothukudi city.
“This is one of the reasons for water entering the Collectorate,” he noted.
This was not only a hindrance to water movement, but also dangerous to the eco system, said a senior official. “Due to the involvement of big companies and political parties, no one could be held accountable,” he added.
Minister of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment P. Geetha Jeevan said canal encroachments were found to be one of the reasons for the floods in the city. “This should be studied to come up with alternatives like expanding canals or building new canals to prevent future occurrences,” she added.
Collector G. Lakshmipathy said the reasons for the floods were being analysed by a technical team. The team would also look into the issues of the construction of wall and the use of copper slag to elevate the land, he said.
