The North-East monsoon is a month away, but the city already seems to be underwater – courtesy the heavy showers over the past few days.
Rain-ravaged roads, water-clogged streets and slow-moving traffic are becoming common sights and are only expected to become worse in the days to come.
Puzhuthivakkam is facing what could probably be the worst after-effects of the rains so far. Four lorries got stuck in a large puddle of water on Friday morning and the police had to use vehicle lift equipment to pull them out.
“We reached the place soon after we got the information. The lorries were lifted using vehicle lifts. Traffic was blocked for about 20 to 30 minutes ,” said an official at the Madipakkam police station.
The area has for long been known for bad roads, which turn muddy and slushy during the rains, making it impossible to drive along.
“Even after many such incidents during rains, no proper steps have been taken to rectify it. One needs to travel in MTC buses in this route to experience the hardship,” said Sathya Narayanan, a professor from Puzhithivakkam.
IT employees working in various software firms on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) too faced a similar situation on Thursday morning, when their vehicle tyres ‘disappeared’ in the water.
At Kaliamman Koil Street in Virugambakkam, the scene was much worse. People had a tough time crossing the muddy waters and slush that had accumulated along the road which leads to the Koyambedu vegetable market and CMBT.
The knee-deep water on one side of the road has made the stretch narrower, resulting in heavy traffic congestion. Two-wheelers and auto rickshaws were seen stuck in the water due to the rains on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Similar scenes were witnessed on the Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road (CTH Road) between Padi and Ambattur. “Two hours of rain is enough to clog this road,” said Sujatha, a resident of Koyambedu, who usually takes the route to reach her office.
If you thought mud and slush were the worst of it, there are places where sewerage water has got mixed up with the stagnated rainwater. The Link Road leading to Adambakkam is one such.
The sewerage water had turned the stagnated rainwater black and foul-smelling. By the next day, the water had risen to a level wherein even buses struggled to pass through.
“If it rains for more than half an hour, the sewerage water enters the house. Recently, they widened the sewer line. That has slightly helped,” said Bhakthan, a resident of Link Road.
The Vilayaatu Vinayagar Koil Street at Mahatma Gandhi Nagar in Taramani, along which many staff vans and school buses ply, also saw sewers overflowing.