Rains over the city have abated since Wednesday and water discharge from Chembarambakkam reservoir into Adyar river had come down. But some areas continued to grapple with rain-related problems as the water has not receded.
On Thursday evening, water released from Chembarambakkam reservoir into the Adyar river was reduced to 5,000 cubic feet per second. But the river continued to flow at dangerous levels, leading to deluge even in areas such as Abhiramapuram, Alwarpet and Teynampet, which normally do not get affected. This situation has left many residents perplexed.
Chembarambakkam reservoir is not the only one that feeds the Adyar river. One of the main reasons is that water from lakes that are either overflowing or getting breached upstream of Adyar river are also joining now.
Bharadwaj, a resident of Balakrishna Street, Mylapore, said: “Water level increased two days ago. We thought it would decrease when the rains stopped. But, we are left confused as it has not receded.” Officials of the Water Resources Department said excess water from 40 tanks in the Tambaram and Guduvancherry belt will also join Adyar river.
Moreover, lakes such as those in Perungalathur and Adanur have also breached.
“Since the river was flowing to its brim on Wednesday, surplus water stagnated upstream and could not drain into the waterway. Now, the river is carrying water from lakes upstream. This is why there is no respite from floods,” said an official.
T. Nagar and Mylapore continue to be marooned because Mambalam canal and central Buckingham canal are choked and carrying water to their full capacity. Even areas that are located far away from waterways are flooded as water from Adyar river had entered the Metrorail tunnel in Saidapet and reached low level areas. “We expect the water to drain into the sea by evening when the low tide action is more,” the official added.
