It was quite a relief for Madurai residents when the skies opened up in the thick of a cruel summer on Tuesday evening. The cool climate brought joy to residents in many parts of the city and suburbs, after sweating day and night for the past few months.
But the joy was short-lived for residents of some of the areas in the western and northern parts of the city. The hour-long rain, accompanied by gutsy wind, brought down trees, blocked roads and paralysed traffic. Those returning home from their workplaces were caught unawares.
Some places were inundated and exposed the inefficient stormwater drainage system. Some of the trees that were uprooted by the strong wind fell on electricity lines and snapped them, leading to power outage in some of the commercial and residential areas.
Corporation sources said that fortunately there was no casualty. Power was restored in the small hours of Wednesday in Anaiyur, Tallakulam, Pandikoil, Kalavasal and parts of Vilangudi. Corporation Commissioner S. Visagan oversaw the restoration work by deploying about 50 workers from different departments to clear the uprooted trees. By noon there was normality.
But one major problem that haunts Madurai whenever it rains reared its head again - water logging on arterial roads. The civic authorities, all these years, have not been able find a lasting solution to inundation during and after rains, though the reasons are obvious - absence of storm water drains, particularly in old parts of Madurai, and encroachment of waterbodies.
It is widely believed that gushing rainwater on roads gathers garbage in its wake and rushes through stormwater drains, where there is one, and chokes them. It is cited as one of the major reasons for water logging of roads and low-lying areas in Madurai.
Bad road engineering
A highways engineer says bad road engineering also plays a part, since roads are not laid as per guidelines, leading to water logging.
An Assistant Commissioner of Police-Traffic says there is slow movement of traffic after the Wednesday’s rain near Periyar bus stand and Kalavasal and normal traffic flow can be restored only by 9 p.m. Due to water logging, the carriage space shrunk. Pedestrians could not use pavements as they were occupied by parked two-wheelers.
At many places, people were forced to walk on the middle of the road to avoid pools of rainwater. In Munichalai junction on Kamaraj Salai, power outage led to accidents. Water logging posed a problem in the heart of the city like North Veli Street and residential areas such as Harvey Nagar near Arasaradi.
The Public Works Department, which maintains rain gauges, recorded 11 mm rainfall in Madurai on Wednesday.
J. Satish, an architect and city resident, says: “If a hour-long rain can wreak havoc on this scale, it only exposes the poor civic infrastructure and lack of accountability of officials.” The Corporation can provide re-charge pits to carry rainwater and prevent water logging on roads, he says. These pits can be provided in problem-areas such as North Veli Street, Goripalayam and Tamil Sangam Road. The recharge pits take in the rainwater within a few minutes and keep the roads free for vehicular movement. As a bonus, the pits also help improve the groundwater table, Mr. Satish says.
The Corporation Commissioner offers a ray of hope, to all these ills, in the form of Smart City schemes. He says one will see the emergence of a new Madurai in less than a year.
