Residents of flood-prone areas in Rainbow Nagar have sought the immediate intervention of the government in desilting storm water drains to prevent recurrence of flooding during northeast monsoon.
In a memorandum to Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan, residents drew the attention of the government to the ordeal they had to undergo in floods during the previous monsoons.
Heavy inundation during monsoons had caused innumerable hardships to residents. People of Rainbow Nagar had to incur a minimum expenditure of ₹10,000 to clean their houses after flood water receded. Some people lost their valuable electronic equipment worth lakhs.
Also Read | Tamil Nadu records third highest rainfall for August in 122 years
“It is a known fact that Rainbow Nagar is a crowded residential area where children and elderly live in large numbers. Water stagnation is a serious health issue in the area. Many people get infected to dengue, malaria and chikungunya in the area. The apathy of concerned authorities in rectifying the problems is shocking,” the residents said.
They appealed to the minister to de-silt the canal from Karuvadikuppam-Muthialpet-Devagi Nagar-Ezhil Nagar-Rainbow Nagar-T.V Nagar-Athithi Hotel. The government should also de-silt the Uppanar canal from Jeeva Nagar near Vel Sokkanathan Thirumana Nilayam, 45 feet Road and Vallalar Salai.
Also Read | The ‘other’ monsoon is on fire over Tamil Nadu this year
The residents urged the government to procure dewatering motor pumps for Rainbow Nagar and provide adequate manpower to operate them. The cleaning up of canals should be taken up on a war footing as the NE monsoon is fast approaching, the memorandum said.
