Flood mitigation measures were delayed by over 5 years after regularization of unauthorized layout by previous AIADMK regime, say residents
Flood mitigation measures were delayed by over 5 years after regularization of unauthorized layout by previous AIADMK regime, say residents
Residents have started using boats to ferry school children to the flooded streets of the city’s major suburb of Ayyappanthangal and Moulivakkam panchayats.
More than 5,000 families in areas such as Dhanalakshmi Nagar, Sai Nagar and Ponniyamman Nagar, all of which fall under Kancheepuram district, have complained of continuous flooding on roads since the onset of the northeast monsoon this year.
G.K., a resident of Dhanalakshmi Nagar using his boat to ferry school children to the submerged areas. Hariharan said water has reached up to three feet in many roads. His boat could accommodate eight people at a time.
Residents said the area, which was earlier developed as an unauthorized layout, was regularized by the previous AIADMK regime. Several tanks were filled to develop the layout. For example, a 1.5-acre Ponniyamankoil tank was filled and developed in Ponniyamman Nagar.
Residents said that after regularization of unauthorized layouts on payment of fee to waive illegal development, flood mitigation infrastructure was delayed by over five years, causing various civic problems in the area.
When called for comments, Ayyappanthangal panchayat president Jemila Pandurangan’s husband answered the call and said that the government has already sanctioned Rs 120 crore for flood mitigation projects in the area. He said that the work would be completed soon.
Several flood mitigation projects, including canals, drains and vents, have been taken up in the neighbourhood. Officials said civic issues due to faulty construction of Madurvoyal bypass in the area have also been identified before the implementation of projects worth Rs 120 crore.
The Water Resources Department (WRD) is in the final stages of completing projects including cut and covered drains, which are worth more than ₹100 crore. “More than 90% of the work has been completed,” said a WRD official.
An official from Kundrathur block in Kancheepuram district said the water level is expected to recede after 6 pm on Thursday as the district administration has taken up some projects. “We are supplying water in lorries to the residents. We have barricaded the area to prevent accidents. The employees have been instructed to take mosquito control measures and repair street lights damaged in floods.
, Video Credits: M.Vedhani