It took just half a day (and night’s) rain to bring back memories of the floods of monsoons past, especially the one in 2007.
Though Sunday witnessed only 80.8 mm of rainfall, motorists on Monday morning were greeted by a city that was more waterlogged than that number suggested. “It was terrible to travel to office from MMDA Colony to Teynampet. Many of the roads were filled with water on one side. When motorists were trying to get through the water without their vehicles stopping, there were big earthmovers trying to fill potholes and wasting our time,” said Harish M, an IT professional.
It was a reminder for the Corporation that the underground drainage system was woefully inadequate and needed either maintenance or repair as the Northeast monsoon, which has set in at least two days in advance, gears up to soak the city. To their credit, Corporation workers were seen filling holes and road-cuts with sand and gravel from as early as 6 am.
The rain lashed till 2.30 am after which there were intermittent showers. The good part though was that the cool weather and gentle breeze stayed for the most of the day.