CHENNAI: Palanivel K, a retiree and resident of Mani street in West Saidapet, along with a few of his neighbours has had a daily ritual ever since the rains started on Saturday. With the Adyar only about 100 metres away from their homes, the residents stand by its banks and check the water level at least twice a day.
For 10 years now, the residents in these parts of West Saidapet and Jafferkhanpet have been urging that the damaged retaining wall be rebuilt. The wall that collapsed in 2015 had been replaced by iron sheets to ensure no one fell but the sheets were washed away immediately afterwards.
“During the 2015 floods, there was water till our roof. Since then we have been asking them to fix the wall and not wait till the next disaster. But, nothing has been done so far and we are checking the water levels everyday,” said Palanivel.
Any news of rain has left residents panicking. In case of a breach, at least 500 families in these areas stand the risk of heavy flooding in the absence of a strong retaining wall. “We have raised complaints several times and appealed to local politicians but nothing has worked. This time too, if the rains continue and the Adyar spills over, we will be the first to get affected,” said V Gokul, a resident of Sarathy Nagar.
In 2019, around 500 metres of the damaged retaining wall was fixed by the PWD and four kilometres remained. When asked why the work has not been carried out yet, a PWD official said, “We have constructed walls in areas that did not have a wall in the first place. In areas where the wall is damaged, it is still to be fixed. We will need around `20 lakh to finish the stretch and we are waiting for funds,” the official said.