CHENNAI: A family of four sits on the porch of their one-room house in one of the narrow streets of Nerkundram. Two years ago, in 2015, they were huddled together on the terrace hoping a boat would bring food and the deafening pumps would rid their street of the ‘neck-high’ water which had destroyed all their electronic appliances.
To a casual observer, the street would look the same. Why is this street not flooded this time around? Because beneath the surface, a stormwater drain is carrying all rainwater to the Virugambakkam canal a few hundred metres away. “It’s like magic; the water disappears a few hours after the rain,” said V Kamal, a resident who had to conjure up experiences from his ‘serviceman’ days to help in rescue operations in 2015. The overcast conditions don’t worry the residents of Nerkundram anymore. After the first spell of the northeast monsoon, there is normalcy in the streets, something that Kamal calls a “new phenomenon”.
Rajiv Gandhi Nagar main road, Ambigai Nagar main road and Shanthi Avenue which were submerged under what locals claim five feet of water in 2015, have only puddles to show for the rains this year. “Over 130 km of stormwater drains have been constructed in zone 11 since the Chennai floods of 2015 under which Nerkundram comes,” said Vijayakumar, zonal officer.
A streetwise tour of Nerkundram revealed that apart from a handful of areas, the stormwater drains have been interlinked to combat water stagnation. “We were scheduled to finish all work before the monsoon but we weren’t able to,” said an assistant engineer. Officials say that the remaining 40 km of stormwater drains will be completed after the rains. The rainwater from wards 144, 145 and 148 enters the Virugambakkam canal at four points — Balakrishnan Nagar junction, Malligai Avenue, Muniappan Nagar Second Street and Iyappan Nagar.
Youth at the Balakrishnan Nagar junction, where the Virugambakkam canal originates, welcome the assistant engineer with smiles. A rare sight in the city presently where local corporation officials are threatened and yelled by residents. “We were standing guard here in 2015 and saving people from being washed into the canal,” one of the youth told Express. “All water used to rush here because this was the only outlet and took a few motorcycles into the canal,” he said.
The youth lauded the Corporation for the good work. “It was a little inconvenient when the roads were dug up”, they said only to agree that the inconvenience is worth it. Local Corporation officials say that road heights were also elevated when the stormwaters drains were constructed to allow a smooth flow of water in certain areas.
A room of unused pumps of various sizes in the divisional office in Karuneegar Street stands a testament to the power of comprehensive, interlinked stormwater drains in combating water stagnation and flooding.