Inspect vulnerable areas, engineers told as Chennai witnesses rains

CHENNAI: With the city witnessing heavy rains on Wednesday, the Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi instructed the engineers to inspect the vulnerable areas and take measures if water stagnation occurred.

A Chennai Corporation official said that based on the instruction, local engineers inspected major water logging areas and sent photos. "There is no waterlogging in several areas. In some areas like MRC Nagar, water drained out in 20 minutes, " the official said.

However, motorists had to be wary while driving on roads where the stormwater drain works are incomplete due to mud spread on the road surface.

On the other hand, Chitlapakkam residents witnessed reverse flow of rainwater from Sembakkam lake into the stormwater drain. "As feared reverse flow observed at cut and cover drain in Sembakkam lake due landfill at blocking flood surplus disposal point," Dayanand Krishnan, a Chitlapakkam resident, said.

He added that the residents had already requested Commissioner of Revenue Administration, water resource department and others to remove the foreshore landfill above the lake bed and artificial bunds that are recently formed at the flood surplus disposal point of 3 Lakes - Selaiyur, Chitlapakkam and Rajakilpakkam lakes.