Good Morning: Chennai goes under water, again

Friday, October 30, 2020

Chennai goes under water, again

Chennai goes under water, again

Inlets Of Stormwater Drains Clogged; High Tide Results In Blocked Waterways; Several Roads Inundated

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

30.10.2020

This is one prediction that can seldom go wrong -- heavy rain inundating Chennai.

Till about noon on Thursday, motorists on major bus route roads and arterial roads had to wade through up to two feet of water. However, by 4pm, Greater Chennai Corporation’s command and control centre recorded water stagnation of two feet or more at only nine spots, an official said Residents complained that even stretches of Anna Salai and Poonamallee High Road were left flooded, while places like Wall Tax Road near Chennai Central, Cenotaph Road, Gemini flyover, Conron Smith Road in Gopalapuram had water logging.

According to a corporation analysis, there was 150mm-200mm of rain in four hours in a city’s whose storm water drain network can drain a maximum of 32mm per hour. “If we have to build for higher capacity, it would take up the road space,” said an official.

Since the rain came during the high tide period, waterways like Buckingham Canal and Otteri Nullah — final exit points for these drains — were running full and in areas like GP Road and PS Sivaswamy Salai in Mylapore, there were waves of water when a bus passed. After noon, when the high tide receded, water drained off in many places.

In some locations, chute pipes of drains were choked and officials were seen unclogging them. Many corporation playgrounds were under water.

GP Road, off Anna Salai, had three feet of water as drain work is in progress on the arterial stretch, officials said. In areas like Manali, Perungudi and Ram Nagar in Velachery, drain work has just begun.

Many residents found their electrical appliances damaged, while some said adaptors of internet modem and cordless phones stopped working. Experts suggested installing mini-circuit breakers, which automatically trip power, and lightning arresters.

Rakesh Ohri, president of The Central Park South Owners Association at Sholinganallur, a complex of 172 apartments said every (apartment) unit in their complex is equipped with mini-circuit breaker. “But, many small apartments and individual houses do not understand the importance of the device that prevents damage to electrical and electronic equipment as it trips power immediately after voltage fluctuates. But, several prefer sub-standard devices and regret when expensive electrical devices gets damaged later,” he said.

Installing lightning arresters is the need of the hour to prevent any damage to buildings, said experts. K V Pari, president of Sivagami Nagar Public Welfare Association at Medavakkam said that high rises have lightning arresters, but not all individual homes installed them. Pari, a civil engineer, said one could install the equipment that comes for ₹1 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh including installation charges.