Kamaraj Nagar (East) has endured persistent flooding during the monsoon season for years, with the most severe impact felt during the 2015 floods, when homes were submerged under four feet of water for several days. Despite efforts and promises from local authorities, the area continues to suffer from flooding inside homes every rainy season, causing distress to the residents.
Efforts to Resolve the Issue
In 2022, Councillor J.Kayalvizhi tried to address the situation and cleared a part of the obstruction on L.B.Road (Adyar Times dated 30 Oct 2022). The residents also took their grievances to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), requesting that their stormwater drains (SWD) be connected to L.B. Road (near Hot Chips) to prevent flooding. This plea led to various government departments being asked by the tribunal to respond to the delay in providing relief to the residents.
Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials initially agreed to study the SWD issues and promised to design a more efficient drainage system. However, they and other departments (CMWSSB, BSNL, etc.) pointed fingers at each other for the delays, leaving the residents frustrated and with no clear solution in sight (Adyar Times dated 15 Oct.2023).
Continuing Flooding
Despite assurances from the GCC, Kamaraj Nagar’s residents continue to face the same challenges during this year’s monsoon. On Oct.17, the East Kamaraj Nagar (North) Residents Welfare Association filed an interim application with the NGT, highlighting the GCC’s failure to resolve the flooding issues. They highlighted that GCC’s stormwater management plan has been inadequate, particularly during heavy rains in mid-October.
The GCC had previously claimed that the majority of the work to fix the drainage issues had been completed, with only 5% of the project left. However, residents reported that the key component of the solution – a well designed to store stormwater and pump it into the Buckingham Canal, had failed to perform as expected. The well, about 20 feet deep, was unable to hold sufficient water, and the pump installed was not powerful enough to extract water (3 feet of water coming in and 1 inch of water pumped out), thus leading to flooded homes.
Sewage water complicates the problem
Even before the construction of the well was over, residents reported that sewage had started flowing into it. Despite informing the local councillor and the GCC, the issue remained unresolved. Thus to draw attention to the issue, residents staged a protest on Oct.12, demanding that the GCC take immediate action to complete the project before the monsoons intensified.
se rapidly, overwhelming the GCC’s pumps. The rainwater entered homes on the 2nd and 3rd East Streets, highlighting the inadequacy of the well design and the pump’s capacity. Additionally, the stormwater was not being discharged directly into the drains, but instead into chambers, which created reverse pressure and worsened the flooding.
Calls for permanent solutions
Residents pointed out that stormwater from Kamaraj Nagar is supposed to be discharged into the SWD at L.B. Road, but this has not happened due to obstructions, including BSNL cables blocking the drains and sewage discharge preventing proper flow. Furthermore, rainwater from L.B. Road itself has added to the flooding problems. Residents have called for the final discharge point of stormwater to be moved to the southern side of Thiruvalluvar Salai and for the Buckingham Canal to be desilted to ensure it can handle the increased water flow.
In their application to the NGT, the residents requested the tribunal to direct the GCC to redesign and implement an efficient SWD system that ensures seamless connectivity to the Buckingham Canal. They hope that with proper planning and execution, they can finally experience a flood-free monsoon in the next season.
