Residents of Karumandapam and its neighbouring colonies off the Tiruchi-Dindigul National Highway turn restive at the approach of the monsoon every year. The reason is not too far to seek. Being one of the flood-prone areas of city an active monsoon could spell trouble for them.
Though the residents of the region are happy over the implementation of the flood control scheme works along the Koraiyur, one of the major flood carriers, the rapidly shrinking drainage channel across the highway which carries the flood discharges from the area to the Uyyakondan River has been a cause of concern for the residents.
The drain that runs from Karumandapam along the National College is the sole flood carrier of the area now. Rain flow from scores of residential colonies in the locality and the overflow from the Kollankulam tank near Edamalaipattipudur drain through this important drain that runs along Selva Nagar, Selva Nagar Extension and New Selva Nagar.
A network of irrigation channels, which had served as effective drains in the region until about two decades back, have all been silted up or clogged completely due to encroachments.
Consequently, Colonies such as Selva Nagar, Thiru Nagar, RMS Colony, Sakthi Nagar, Jaya Nagar, Jaya Nagar Extension, Ashok Nagar and Arasu Colony, only to name a few, have been bearing the brunt of the now frequent phenomenon of water logging.
C.Balasubramanian, secretary, Karumandapam Exnora Flood Prevention Committee, points out that during the monsoon flood discharges from higher plains such as Keeranur, Navalpat, Airport, K.K.Nagar and Edamalaipattipudur flow via Karumandapam and the Selva Nagar colonies before draining into the Uyyakondan. The Koraiyar river bund was recently strengthened and the Keezh Pokki vent has also been widened.
But nothing has been done to desilt the drain running along the National College over the past 10 years. The drain which was once about 10 feet wide has now shrunk to just about two to three feet, thanks to heavy encroachments. A couple of years back, about 30 encroachments over the drain were identified by the authorities but they have not been evicted so far.
Removing the encroachments and desilting the drain is an urgent necessity. Otherwise, Selva Nagar and its adjoining areas would face the imminent threat of floods if there were to be heavy rains this monsoon, Mr.Balasubramanian says.
Local residents also point out that a stretch of the drain was renovated some years back but the cement masonry works have been badly damaged. Further, the drain has to be properly delineated and constructed for a stretch of about 1.5 km beyond New Selva Nagar, they say.
