Once a well-planned township, Anna Nagar reels under floods, concretisation

CHENNAI: Anna Nagar – the high-profile residential area with real estate prices skyrocketing, is a classic example of poor urban planning. On Wednesday, several interior and main roads in Anna Nagar west, including parking areas were flooded, with peak-hour traffic adding to chaos. Heavy downpour for over an hour left the helpless public and motorists fuming.

DT Next visited the spot only to learn that the calm, serene Anna Nagar is a folklore, often fondly recalled as a ‘yesteryear memory’ by a veteran of the neighbourhood. The storm water drains (SWDs) are unable to carry the flood water due to heavy concretisation of the locality, and the recent Metro rail works had adversely affected the water penetration back to the water table.

“Worst part on 4th Street, D Sector is that there is no SWD. Water from East Main Road and SBOA Main CBSE School East Gate Road slopes into 4th Street from both sides. We’re worried for this monsoon season,” rued G Umadevi, Plot W-728, 4th Street, D Sector.

“Prior to 2023, there had not been flooding of this size and dimension in any of our sectors. The real villain is the loopline laid by nearby corporate companies, which had been merged with the SWD at Park Road,” explained a retired professor with Madras Veterinary College. “This had been a deliberate attempt to save a few companies near Padi and Korattur, and as a result, nearby schools and residential areas suffer water-logging. Those instrumental in designing this loop approach should be held accountable for their sectarian approaches and the suffering deliberately inflicted on local public.”

Residents lamented over the problem of water-logging in the last 2 years. “Not even in 2015, we had flooding problems. The recent Metro Rail stations are an another eyesore. The flashy granite platforms and access roads are not only slippery but deny the recharge of groundwater, adding to the woes near Anna Nagar, Tirumangalam and Kilpauk areas,” said Jammal Munneer, a realtor based in Anna Nagar, Shanti Colony. “The Corporation should re-study the rainwater hydrology flow from Korattur, Padi, W Block, Anna Nagar western extension, SBOA Matriculation School, 19th street, and work out a massive water recharging and draining plan.”

When contacted, BK Murthy, Ambattur zonal chairman (Zone 7), told DT Next, “There was water-logging reported in the locality due to clogged SWD and silt catch pits. We ensured it had been pumped out and the area returned to normalcy within half an hour. Tender has been floated to desilt and remove waste from the existing drains and catch pits. The public should also cooperate by not littering the roads and avoid plastic at least during the monsoon.”

Earlier, Anna Nagar had the concept of gardens and wells in each residential house. Similarly, there were large tracts of open lands in Anna Nagar west, Mogappair and Kilpauk areas. “Now, construction has changed the area, leaving hardly any space for rainwater harvesting. The interior tar roads are now re-laid with cement adding to the monsoon woes,” pointed out a former Chennai corporation councillor with AIADMK.