Chennai rains: Once these are implemented, city’s flooding woes will be permanently solved

CHENNAI: The flood woes of the city would be permanently resolved after the completion of the remaining 30 per cent recommendations contained in the Thiruppugazh committee report, said Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday.

Talking to media persons after inspecting various flood mitigation works being implemented in Guindy, Velachery and Narayanapuram lake, the Chief Minister said his government had constituted the Advisory Committee for Mitigation and Management of Flood Risk in the Chennai Metropolitan Area headed by retired IAS official V Thiruppugazh immediately after coming to power in 2021.

"We have been making preparations for monsoon for three months now. We are gradually executing the [mitigation works recommended by the committee]. It cannot be completed in one go. It has been completed to an extent. Another 25-30 per cent of the works are still pending. We will finish them in the coming days. It will definitely offer a permanent solution to the flooding woes of the people of Chennai and adjoining districts," he said.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister inspected the deepening and widening of the three existing reservoirs and creation of four lakes with 4.24 mcft storage capacity in the land retrieved from the Madras Race Club (MRC).

The four lakes would prevent discharge of flood water from MRC into Pillaiyar Koil Street, Maduvankarai, Five Furlong Road, Race Club Inner Road, Velachery Main Road and Vandikkaran Theru and store rainwater, the state government said in a statement. It added that besides preventing flooding in the area, they would prevent waterlogging, ease traffic flow and recharge groundwater table.

Stalin also instructed officials to expedite the desilting of Veerangal canal that drains flood water into Buckingham canal through the Pallikarani marshland. He also directed officials to complete the desilting and strengthening of Narayanapuram lake bund and removal of water hyacinth from the surplus canal bridge of Keelkattalai lake.

Meanwhile, Inspecting the flood relief works in the city, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said that the absence of water logging in the city was the white paper report. He was responding to a query on Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami demanding a white paper on the flood mitigation works undertaken by the State government.