The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Wells fill up, so do subways

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 06, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Wells fill up, so do subways

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, APRIL 5. Rain lashed several parts of the city and the suburbs on Tuesday delighting the water-starved residents. But the unseasonal rain also caught the civic managers off-guard as it choked storm water drains leading to waterlogging, choking traffic at many key junctions.

In the 12 hours ending 8.30 p.m. on Tuesday, the Meteorological Department's Nungambakkam station recorded 59.8 mm of rainfall while the Meenambakkam station recorded 121.4 mm.

The heavy showers came during the morning peak hour and during the afternoon rush hour as students came out of their schools and colleges after completing their annual examinations.

Traffic was thrown out of gear on thoroughfares such as Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, T. Nagar, Old Mahabalipuram Road, Guindy, GST Road, Saidapet, Velachery and Anna Nagar.

School children were worst hit in the morning, as many of the roads and lanes near their institutions were flooded. Commuters in Anna Nagar and Flower Bazaar found it difficult to reach buses as many termini were also flooded.

Many residents who called up this newspaper complained that poor maintenance of roads and drains. Noting that the situation was bad even with five or six cm of rain, they wondered what would happen to the city in case the rain got heavier.

Four trees in K.K.Nagar, Alagappa Road, Arcot Road and Saidapet were uprooted due to the rain. Two tsunami relief camps in the city — Okkiam Thorapakkam and Kargil Nagar — were also affected. Civic officials brought in sand lorries to improve the surface conditions. The refugees were shifted to nearby school buildings.

Residents of North Chennai, such as Perambur and Vysarpadi found it a tough task to negotiate the damaged roads.

Residents in suburbs complained that the delay in completion of construction of a 2.5 km canal linking Velachery Lake and Pallikaranai marshland was the main reason for the water stagnation in parts of Vijayanagar. In parts of Alandur, water mixed with sewage and entered many homes as pumping stations were in disrepair, residents said.

While those living in Tiruvanmiyur West Avenue and Indira Nagar had to put up with mixing of sewage with rainwater on roads, residents of Ramaswamy Salai, K.K.Nagar faced a threat as an electric post collapsed in heavy rain.

A Chennai Corporation spokesperson said that measures were being taken to pump out stagnant water on roads and subways immediately. In Saidapet, civic workers were seen clearing clogged rains.

Rise in well water

Residents in several parts of the city, including Saidapet, Kolathur and Alwarpet, who had implemented rainwater structures said the showers in the past two days filled up their wells. They could observe an increase in the groundwater level of 3-5 feet.

S. Prema, a resident of Villivakkam, said the dry open well in her house was recharged and now has about 3 feet of water. A resident of Alwarpet noted a similar rise in well water after three days of rain.

Major shopping malls in the city wore a deserted look today. Many shop owners said that morning showers brought down the sales by half. Meanwhile, the Meteorological department has forecast showers or thundershowers in the city for the next 24 hours.

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