Few hours of rain floods key roads in Chennai, clogs drains, slows down traffic

CHENNAI: Denizens cannot seem to catch a break, as several neighbourhoods within the city and suburbs were waterlogged after a few hours of downpour on Tuesday. Workers of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) drained the stagnated rainwater and sewage from the main roads and interior streets.

There was widespread flooding in Perungudi, Velachery, Perambur, Tondiarpet, Tiruvottiyur, Broadway, Ekkattuthangal, Kodambakkam, Anna Salai, Nungambakkam, Mylapore, Alandur and OMR.

Though several roads in Velachery and Perungudi were waterlogged, residents stated that due to a brief break from the rain, the stagnated water drained through the storm water drains (SWDs). Whatever remained was pumped out by the civic body with tractor pumps at the earliest.

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However, the situation was different in OMR and ECR. “Both interior and main roads in OMR were flooded with upto 1-2 feet. With very heavy rain predicted for a couple of days, we’re worried,” rued Harsha Koda, co-founder of Federation of OMR Residents’ Association. “The Corporation ensured to drain the excess water through installed motor pumps but it was not very helpful.”

Ennore and Pallikaranai recorded the highest amount of rainfall with 7 cm, followed by Taramani with 6 cm, Anna University 5 cm, and Meenambakkam, Nungambakkam and YMCA Nandamam recorded 4 cm of rainfall each. If the city’s pace is affected with just moderate to heavy rain (less than 10 cm) from Monday night, denizens are worried about the situation when a cyclone forms.

“After the first heavy spell for 15 minutes, there was waterlogging and sewer overflowing on the road in Vadivelu Main Road, Bharathi Road, Rajeswari Street, Ramakrishnan Street, Srinivasan Street, and Patel Road. At least two tractors were deployed to pump it out on Patel Street where the SWD doesn’t work,” said C Raghukumar, a resident of Perambur.

Traffic was thrown out of gear all across the city, even in areas like OMR and ECR, creating a traffic gridlock for hours. In Semmenchery on OMR, and Maduranthagam, Melmaruvathur, Karunkuli, Acharapakkam, Chithamur, and Cheyyur on ECR, flooded roads prevented vehicles from moving normally. Streets of Thalambur and Navalur were also flooded.

Waterlogged roads and streets in Tambaram, Tondiarpet, Chromepet, Pallavaram, Selaiyur, Urapakkam, Vandalur, Guduvanchery, and Maraimalai Nagar were a nightmare for motorists and pedestrians.

In Kancheepuram, low-lying areas like Rangasammy Kulam, Orrikai, Thirupulivalam and Walajabad were flooded, affecting vehicular movement on the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway.

Vehicles came to a standstill on the Tambaram-Velachery Road, as the subway that connects Tambaram east and west was flooded. Commuters fumed that a motor pump to drain the water was lying idle in the subway.

“The Corporation should have an alternate plan to handle such situations and ensure the public is not affected,” said a commuter. 

Meanwhile, Chennai, Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram districts have declared holiday for schools on Wednesday.