In a significant and welcome change, several flood-prone localities in southern Chennai and its suburbs remained largely free of water stagnation on Tuesday. This was despite these areas receiving substantial rainfall, with some pockets recording up to 12 centimetres in the 24-hour period ending Tuesday morning. The positive development comes even as the Regional Meteorological Centre issued a red alert for the city.
Key Areas See Drastic Improvement
Notable southern neighbourhoods including Velachery, Madipakkam, Puzhuthivakkam, Adambakkam, Adyar, and Thiruvanmiyur reported clear roads with minimal pooling of water. This marks a stark contrast to previous years when even moderate showers would lead to severe inundation in these zones. Officials attribute this improvement to pre-monsoon civic works focused on stormwater drainage systems.
In Taramani, areas like Periyar Nagar and Bharathi Nagar witnessed no waterlogging, barring some issues on MGR Main Road. The scene at Velachery's Vijaya Nagar bus terminus was particularly surprising for daily commuters. Ravi Charan, a commuter, expressed his astonishment, noting that while it had been raining since the previous night, there were only a few puddles. "Usually, people wade through water to board buses during rain," he said.
Civic Works Credited for Success
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) pointed to timely infrastructure upgrades as the primary reason for the improved situation. GCC executive engineer R Murali stated that stormwater drain work was completed by October. Furthermore, road cut restoration work was carried out on more than 400 interior roads by last month, ensuring better water runoff.
Other traditionally vulnerable spots like the Puzhuthivakam Station area and the Thillai Ganga Nagar subway were also clear of stagnation. Durairaj, the zone 13 ward committee chairman, explained the specific measures taken. "All weak stormwater drain links were plugged near vulnerable stretches such as TANSI Nagar, Baby Nagar, and Bhuvaneshwari Nagar," he said. He added that encroachments along the Velachery-Perungudi Link Road were removed and proper linking was carried out to prevent water accumulation.
Challenges Persist on Interior Roads and IT Corridor
While main roads and major junctions remained largely unaffected, some interior roads still felt the impact of the rains. Commuters reported that the condition of roads deteriorated after the Holiday Inn junction on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), where ongoing metro rail work has left several potholes and uneven patches, making travel difficult.
Residents acknowledged the progress but called for further action. Sathish Galley, a resident of OMR, praised the officials for their work on the main road. He urged the corporation to now speed up water and sewer connections so that the crucial IT corridor can handle heavy rainfall even more effectively in the future.
The overall situation indicates that focused pre-monsoon preparedness and infrastructure hardening can yield tangible results in flood mitigation, even when a red alert is in effect.
