The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Rain subsides but impact lingers on

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Friday, Dec 21, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Rain subsides but impact lingers on

K. Manikandan

Roads bear the brunt, lakes overflow

— PHOTO: A.MURALITHARAN

RESCUE ATTEMPT: Firemen helping residents of CTO Colony, West Tambaram, on Thursday.

TAMBARAM: Parts of residential localities bore the brunt of damage caused by the incessant rain in different parts of the southern suburbs on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The rainfall on Wednesday was not as heavy and severe as on Tuesday.

For the 24 hours ending 5.45 a.m. on Thursday, the rainfall recorded in Tambaram was only 6.3 cm, half of what was recorded on Wednesday morning.

However, it was enough to damage bus route roads and streets in the localities.

It was evident that choked storm water drains had not been attended to by the urban local bodies in the southern suburbs.

Residents of some pockets in Nanganallur and Pazhavanthangal complained that stormwater drains were not desilted properly, leading to water stagnation on the streets.

In Madurapakkam village near Tambaram, residents complained to MLA S. R.Raja about rainwater overflowing from a water channel and entering their houses.

The problem was due to a narrow culvert across the Mambakkam Road.

Mr. Raja said Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways and South Chennai MP T. R. Baalu had sanctioned about Rs. 1.5 crores for building a new causeway across the water channel.

Mr. Raja, who visited the village, told residents that once the project was completed, rainwater run off from the Vandalur hillocks and areas of Tambaram would drain without any hindrance into water bodies in Perumbakkam, Ottiyambakkam and beyond.

Obstructions on channels

Labour Welfare Minister and Alandur MLA T. M. Anbarasan inspected a few localities in Keelkattalai, Pallavaram Municipality, and instructed engineers of the local body to remove obstructions on channels draining water into lakes in Narayanapuram, Kovilambakkam and Pallikaranai marshland.

Due to obstructions on this channel, water got stagnated in several streets of Keelkattalai.

In Ram Nagar, Sadasivam Nagar and Kubera Nagar of Madipakkam, the three areas that are usually the worst affected pockets during monsoon, streets were flooded.

Firemen deploy boat

In CTO Colony, West Tambaram, firemen, led by District Fire Officer Priya Ravichandran, deployed a rubber boat to rescue nearly 75 people, mostly women and children, stranded inside their houses surrounded by five feet deep water.

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