Let them converge and flow

CHENNAI: Monsoon seasons tend to make denizens wary and anxious. Flooded roads, stagnated sewage and inundation across the city are challenges that Chennaiites face.

The inundation that hit the city during the northeast monsoons in the previous years was due to the overflowing of lakes, canals, and rivers, which are not desilted and maintained by the government.

The civic body focuses on the construction of storm water drains across the city ahead of the monsoon season. However, the waterbodies play a crucial role in flood management, and when it has not been preserved well, the city cannot prevent or withstand a flood.

Experts say if water bodies are not desilted well, it would impact the water-holding capacity. “The civic body focuses on removing water hyacinths from Vyasarpadi and Kodungaiyur canals. Instead, they should clean the silt from them. Almost 80-90% of Vyasarpadi canal is filled with mud; only with desilting can you prevent overflowing during the monsoon season,” lamented P Ganesh, a resident of Kodungaiyur. “Due to lack of maintenance by the corporation officials, residents are severely affected. The pre-monsoon preparedness works are just eyewash.”

During intense rainfall in the city, when canals reach 2-3 feet of water, it overflows and the entire area gets waterlogged. “It’s worse when rainwater gets mixed with sewage. We’re forced to walk in filthy water. The number of fever and skin disease cases increases among children and senior citizens,” added Ganesh.

A few decades ago, water flowed through the channels in the city without any interference or obstacles during the northeast monsoon. However, after the increase in urbanisation in the city, waterbodies are being used for dumping garbage, which leads to the rapid growth of vegetation.

“The corporation officials and ward councillors should work along with the residents’ welfare associations. They should take feedback from the residents because we have a better vantage point – after all, we know how the area would be during the monsoon seasons,” pointed out Saran Vivek, a resident of Pallikaranai.

He added that though the civic body authorities construct storm water drains in the area, there’s always knee-deep water stagnation every monsoon.

“There has been no permanent solution. We’re forced to stay indoors at least for a week until it drains completely. We’re tired of raising complaints to the corporation to clear the water bodies regularly, remove excess vegetation and maintain them properly,” rued Saran.

Since, encroachers have occupied near the waterbodies untreated sewage has been discharged into the canals. The blackish water, foul smell from the canals and the rapid growth of water hyacinths are some of the challenges residents face regularly.

Residents and civic activists stated that unless the State government clears the encroachments near the canals and installed a sewage treatment plant (STP), drainage water would enter the waterbodies along the Cooum, Adyar, and Kosasthailayar rivers.

Few years ago, the Chitlapakkam lake was contaminated and resulted in groundwater pollution in the residential areas. “It used to flood during the monsoon seasons. Already, Cooum and Adyar rivers are partially dead due to lack of maintenance,” averred Dayanand Krishnan, a civic activist. “We want to preserve Chitlapakkam lake. So, we urged the Water Resources Department (WRD) to install a sluice gate and a sewage treatment plant in the water body.”

With measures taken, the untreated sewage discharge from the residential areas has been stopped. “If it’s possible in Chitlapakkam Lake, the State government could revive dead lakes and canals in the city. When there is free flow of rainwater into the water bodies, it would prevent inundation,” he added.

Climate-change volunteers explained that the problem of flooding was mostly due to narrowing of channels. Many channels carrying water to lakes have disappeared or diverted, filled with garbage and narrowed due to change in land-use. Therefore, the water flows on the roads inundating the residential areas.

The Greater Chennai Corporation said that the removal of water hyacinths from the canals and wastes dumped in the water bodies has commenced. The civic body authorities have formed a team to ensure that the canals were not littered and would impose a penalty against those who dump garbage.

The WRD is all set to begin desilting and removing water hyacinths and other floating materials in the waterbodies soon. “Encroachments near waterbodies in the city will be removed. Contractors are instructed to clear the rivers regularly till December,” said a senior official.