CHENNAI: Mudichur and Varadharajapuram, which were among the most affected areas during the 2015 floods, have again been inundated by the recent rains. Residents say the authorities learnt no lessons from the past, as this time too there was knee- deep water in their localities after cyclone Burevi brought more rains. “Knee-deep water is nothing uncommon in our area.
Whenever it rains, our areas get flooded, forcing us to move out,” says Stanley, a Varadharajapuram resident. According to him, the main reason for the flooding, especially when water is released from Chembarambakkam lake into Adyar river, is the unscientific construction of the bund there.
“The bund is very high in some places and very low in some. Due to this, Mahalakshmi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Bhuvaneshwari Nagar and Shanti Niketan Nagar often get flooded,” he added.
Concurring, another resident said the bridge connecting Mahalakshmi Nagar and Rayappa Nagar was also built in an unscientific manner. The height of the bund is different on either side. They also suspect the bund was not built in some areas due to the construction of several illegal residential buildings near the lake. “Since this was agricultural land a few years ago and realtors illegally encroached it over the years, the areas often get flooded.
Amudan Nagar, Nemi Nathan Nagar and SK Avenue at Mudichur are the worst affected,” said K Padmini, a Mudichur resident. Responding to the allegations, an official said they implemented a lot of flood relief measures this year and ensured excess water was cleared within 48 hours. “We will also build a bund over there soon,” he added.