The residents of Chitlapakkam battled three successive years of flooding since 2015 and hoped that this year, they could enjoy an inundation-free monsoon with the government implementing the cut-and-cover drain project. However, the delay in completing the construction work has put the residents to much hardship.
At Thirumagal Nagar Second Street, the panchayat officials had dug a canal measuring 5-feet in depth and 5 feet in width. “The project was started last month but the officials have not made any efforts to close the drain and cover it with concrete. The drain on this street has not been connected with the main channel at the junction yet, which means the residents in Pradeep and Karthik Avenue will face inundation if the rain lasts a couple of days,” said Dayanand Krishnan, a resident of Thirumagal Nagar.
He added that the connecting drain at the Thirumagal Nagar Second Street is less than 2 feet wide and without extending its width, the water will not flow freely, he added.
A few residents alleged that no tender was called for, for the construction of a cut-and-cover drain in this locality and the officials started the work without approval.
When contacted, a senior official of Chitlapakkam Panchayat admitted that no tender was called for this particular project, but the construction was started after getting approval from the Kancheepuram Collector. According to the official, the mud canal was dug at Thirumagal Nagar Second Street as an emergency measure to prevent inundation. “Chitlapakkam is a flood-prone neighbourhood and it was one of the worst-hit areas during the 2015 floods and Cyclone Vardah in 2016. This year, we wanted to prevent damage to properties and people as much as we could. Hence, we dug the mud canals to prevent inundation,” the official added.
Asked why the cut-and-cover drain project was not started before the onset of northeast monsoon, the official said the fund allocation came only in September and a section of residents were also objecting to the work, referring to the recent controversy over awarding contracts for the project. “
On Thursday morning, following heavy showers the previous night, it seemed like most streets escaped stagnation but the channels were full of rainwater. The canal at Thirumagal Nagar Second Street had water almost up to 3 feet and the drains at Pamban Swamigal Salai were full. “The drains are about 5 feet deep but they are full in just a day’s rain. Since there is no concrete on the sides of the canal, the mud is falling back into the canal. If it continues to rain heavily, the drains will overflow and Chitlapakkam will be flooded again,” said Siva another resident.
Safety concerns
The residents are upset with the civic authorities for not taking enough measures to barricade the canals. “We are putting up with the inconvenience the drain causes in terms of access and movement of vehicles. But the drains have been left open for weeks without any temporary protection. When we took it up with the panchayat, all they did was put some safety tapes which are inadequate. The stretch is unsafe especially for schoolchildren and elderly citizens. A 20-year-old college student died after falling into one of the open and incomplete drain in East Tambaram. At least after the tragedy, the officials should have taken some corrective measures to prevent any further untoward incident,” a resident said.
