CHENNAI: People living around Moovarasampet lake, which is rapidly getting filled, are worried as it has not stopped pouring for more than 15 hours. Residents of nearby Ullagaram and Madipakkam express fear over the lake bund being breached by the continuous rainfall. They say encroachment along the lake has redirected the flow of rainwater into their areas.
“It all comes under Eri-porompoke, where you can’t obtain a patta for a piece of land. But still there are over 2,000 encroachments here along the lake bed area. People continued to occupy and build along the area for years now,” says Raja an advocate and resident of Ullagaram.
For now, these localities face knee-deep water, like many others, with residents fearing the arrival of a bigger deluge that will completely inundate their localities, cutting off all hopes of transportation. They watch in fear as the water levels rise each day.
“It was fine when the rain stopped briefly for a few days. By then, it had risen a lot, and now, with the second round of rains, it looks like the bunds will be breached anytime. I doubt any desilting was done along the lake as it doesn’t come under city corporation,” says Gokula Nadhan, a resident of Madipakkam.
On Tuesday morning, it rained more than six centimetres within four hours and continued throughout the day.