City drowns in sorrow again After 2 days of rain

The heavy downpour in the last two days has led to water stagnation in many parts of the city, and also in the residential areas in Chitlapakkam, Pallavaram, Korattur, Madipakkam and Tambaram in the suburbs. Residents complained that inundation has been an issue they have been facing during every monsoon.

Dayanand Krishnan, a resident of Tambaram, said that Tambaram is surrounded by major lakes, including Selaiyur, Sembakkam and Chitlapakkam lake, near residential areas. “There are certain localities near Anandapuram in East Tambaram that get flooded even after moderate spells of rain. The people there suffer from huge loss to property due to this. There are times when they have to vacate and move to safer places until the rains stop,” he said.

Various localities in Pallavaram are also suffering from inundation. Residents here said that the water from a nearby company was being drained near their houses. Every time it rains, the water flows from there, leading to waterlogging.

“In some of the houses, rainwater has entered the living rooms. We cannot even sit inside the house. The residential area that houses about 70 families is waterlogged for most part of the monsoon season, as the civic authorities did not undertake any steps to construct a proper drainage system to take out the flood water,” said Arjun, a resident of Pallavaram.

Residents of Kundrathur, too, rued that rainwater has entered in their homes, disrupting their daily life to such an extent that they are not even able to cook due to waterlogging. “There is a lake nearby and we cannot even sit inside the houses. I am finding it difficult to send my children to school and cook,” said Ganga, a resident of Kundrathur.

After the heavy downpour on Sunday, floodwater entered several houses in the northern suburbs of the city, too. In Korattur, for instance, water is as high as knee-deep, causing inconvenience to the residents and commuters.

“The water stagnates even after light rainfall. Since Saturday, there was heavy rains following which water has entered the houses from Sunday afternoon. Residents of 16 houses have moved out after the water level increased. The equipment in their houses have been damaged in the water. Earlier, it was only rainwater. But later sewage also got mixed with it. After lodging complaints to Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) repeatedly, they were able to drain only a portion of the water on Monday,” said Sekar V, a resident of Central Avenue in Korattur.

“If it rains like this for more days, we will face a situation similar to the flood in 2015, as the officials have not taken any steps to address the situation here. Every year, after the politicians, including the MLA, visits the neighbourhood after it rains heavily. But there are no steps taken to solve the issue. Sometimes, even snakes come inside the house along with flood water,” he added.

Since Sunday afternoon, the residents have not had electricity supply. With no drinking water available, they are forced to shell out money to buy water cans from the shops.

“We are not able to step out of the house as the water is till the knee level. As the vehicles are stuck due to inundation, we are not able to take them out even in the case of an emergency. All our equipment have been damaged by the floodwater, and it is hard to stay inside the house without electricity and water. We are scared that we might face the same fate as that of the flood in 2015. Though officials visit the area during every monsoon, nothing has changed for us,” said Sarala M, a 60-year-old resident of Railway Station Road, Korattur.

Places such as Ambattur and Kolathur, too, faced water stagnation after heavy rainfall on Sunday, but it drained after a few hours.