NS Heavy rain continues in Chennai has again exposed the vulnerability of the city, a Coastal metropolis with flat terrain, prone to floods, and raised more questions than answers about the government’s preparedness to deal with the northeast monsoon. NS 21 cm. first round of heavy rain, mostly in the early hours of Sunday (November 7), took everyone by surprise. Despite clearing nearly 700 km of drains and waterways in the last four months, the flood problem did not show any tangible improvement. The nightmare of the 2015 December floods haunted Chennai in the backdrop of officials monitoring the release of surplus water from reservoirs on the outskirts. Even as the city struggled to return to normalcy, there was a pressure in the Bay of Bengal, which crossed the coast near Chennai on Thursday. This time, the city did not receive very heavy rainfall, but several suburbs like Tambaram and Red Hills recorded over 22 cm of rain. In the last four days, other parts of the state have also witnessed the onset of monsoon. Nagapattinam, one of the backward areas of the Cauvery delta, was battered after falling 31 cm in a day.
The root of the problem is the issue of drainage, whether in Chennai or Nagapattinam. In a large urban environment such as Chennai, there are shrinking open spaces, gaps between the coverage of drains and sewer lines, old drains and sewer networks in core areas of the city, and encroachments or obstructions impeding the free flow of water. responsible for the error. In addition to several canals, including the Buckingham Canal, the city has a few rivers such as the Coom and Adyar. All these reservoirs, if maintained properly, can be very effective flood carriers, saving many residential areas from flooding. The state government, which is implementing some integrated storm water drainage projects, should look for sustainable solutions to the city’s long-standing problems and implement them in a short span of time. The government is quick in providing relief and its seriousness in the matter can be gauged from the fact that Chief Minister MK Stalin visited the flood-affected areas continuously since Sunday to take direct stock of the problems. Often in the past, the determination shown in finding a long-term solution to waterlogging fell short during the non-monsoon period. Mr Stalin, formerly the Mayor of Chennai and Minister of Local Administration, is now well prepared to use his experience and lift the city out of the quagmire. People should also be responsible enough to ensure that water bodies and drains are not turned into dumps.
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