1 week Ago By Express News Service
CHENNAI: For H Chinnadurai, a senior citizen and resident of Sampangi Street in Vivekananda Nagar, life was peaceful until the Avadi Corporation constructed a stormwater drain in the area about four years ago. Since then, even during light showers, his house on the ground floor gets inundated. The 100-odd families in the area said they shared the same fate.
Even a day after rain stopped, many houses in Sampangi Street were inundated. Some residents bailed out, while some chose to wait for the water on the street to recede. C Chandrasekar, another resident, said this problem began after the corporation built a stormwater drain one and a half feet deep and above ground level.
Though it is a stormwater drain, only sewage water flows through it throughout the year, and during rainy days, the rainwater along with sewage overflows from the drain and inundates the area. Water from all surrounding areas flows into this drain. The main chamber on the road is 10 feet deep and seven feet wide, and is connected to this one-and-half-feet stormwater drain, which, not being able to carry all the water gushing into it, overflows.
“The water from here drains into Puzhal lake, contaminating the potable water. Representations were submitted to the Avadi Corporation officials several times, but no action ensued,” he lamented. AP Sudarshan, another resident said, “I have been living here for decades, and had never faced this problem until the stormwater drain was constructed.
” When contacted, a senior corporation official told TNIE that a team of officers had inspected the area, and identified that the width of the stormwater drain was smaller than the main drain. The elevated slope of the drain has been hindering the natural flow of water. However, they have been clearing blockages in the drain and water will be pumped out from the street soon, the official said.
Despite the first spell of the northeast monsoon subsiding and water clearing from several parts of south Chennai by Wednesday morning, nearly 100 houses in Ambedkar Nagar, Veppampatti, and Pallikaranai, remain submerged under knee-deep stagnant water. Pushpa, a resident, said several houses in the area lacked patta. She urged the government to provide them with patta and improve basic infrastructure like roads.
“We lost all our belongings during the floods this year as the water rose to about five feet high around our houses. If the officials widen the water channels, the problem could be solved to an extent,” said S Jayaseelan, a resident. In North Avenue and its adjacent streets in Korattur, there was hip-level water on Wednesday morning.
Local body workers used boats to help residents in the area move to safe places. The water was drained out by evening. In Tambaram, around 150 residents of Annai Anjugam Nagar were provided shelter at Government Higher Secondary school, Perungalathur, by Tambaram Municipal Corporation.
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