Waterlogging in Chennai after a brief spell chokes traffic for hours
Residents fear that the situation would worsen during the northeast monsoon, as the local body had failed to carry out the desilting storm water drains (SWDs) and re-lay damaged roads in many areas.
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CHENNAI:After intense rainfall on Sunday evening in the capital city, denizens woke up to water-logging and fallen tree branches in their neighbourhoods the next day.
It led to traffic congestion, disrupting the normal routine of commuters on Monday morning.
Residents fear that the situation would worsen during the northeast monsoon, as the local body had failed to carry out the desilting storm water drains (SWDs) and re-lay damaged roads in many areas. “Even for a few hours of rain, there was water-logging in the area, as the roads were re-laid without milling,” said Govarthan K, a resident of Perambur. “Though multiple complaints were filed with the local authorities, there has been no response. The contractor continues to re-lay roads without milling that leads to water stagnation in the locality.”
Additionally, the Metro Water board carried out maintenance work of underground sewage and drinking water, and also laid new connections without removing the sand. “When it rains, it fills the existing SWDs. With the monsoon likely to begin in two months, the Corporation has not desilted the drains. They never find the root cause of the issue to prevent water stagnation,” he pointed out.
Due to heavy rain along with strong winds on Sunday night that continued till the early morning hours on Monday, several tree branches fell in Perambur and Adyar. Based on residents’ complaints, the GCC removed them without interrupting the normal life of the public.
Though bus route roads and interior roads had only very little water-logging, it led to traffic gridlock especially near Tidel Park signal where vehicles moved at a snail pace during the peak hours on Monday. “The ongoing CMRL and SWD construction work have been going on throughout the year, and it has worsened the situation. Since the city continues to receive rain often, the Corporation and other departments must hasten the work and complete it before the northeast monsoon begins. Precautionary measures must be taken as well to prevent water stagnation even for mild spells,” opined T Manikandan, a resident of Velachery.
When contacted, GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran said, “Only minor water-logging was reported in the city, and 22 subways were free for traffic. There are challenges in places where CMRL construction work is ongoing. We’ve kept additional motor pumps to pump out the stagnated water. Complaints of water-logging and fallen trees were addressed immediately.”