CHENNAI: Water from the Porur lake surplus canal has spilled over to the streets, flooding localities in Mugalivakkam for the third day on Monday. Residents said several of their neighbours have moved out.
The canal that also collects runoff from Paraniputhur, Pattur and Mangadu has caused flooding in the area and officials estimate an upper catchment flow of 1,100 cusecs at present, much higher than its carrying capacity.
“Every year, we are prone to flooding because of the Porur lake surplus canal and water stagnates but this time water has even entered houses, which hasn’t happened since 2015,” said Sridhar (name changed), a resident of Thiruvalluvar Nagar in Mugalivakkam. He has moved to his daughter’s house after the power supply was disconnected on Sunday for safety reasons.
Both localities that were worst affected - Thiruvalluvar Nagar and Arumugam Nagar- had stormwater drains connected to the Adyar as the disposal point, equipped to carry runoff from these areas. However, the flooding caused by the surplus canal has overwhelmed the infrastructure.
“The WRD should ensure that the canal doesn’t flood our streets. This has been a long-standing issue. Without power and water, most of the residents are forced to take refuge in a relative’s house,” said S Raghupathy, a resident. Residents said that the canal, especially at the stretch where it drains into the Adyar, has been choked by encroachments. WRD officials who maintain the canal said there is no other option but to pump out water from Kolapakkam and Mugalivakkam because they are low-lying. “In a day, water will drain out,” said a WRD official.
Corporation officials said they have been working with WRD officials to ensure that the water from the canal does not flood the streets. Corporation officials are in the process of draining out water from the area with two high-power pumps.
“Work is going on a new canal through Madanandapuram which is only halfway complete. Once that work is done, we expect the issue will be sorted out,” said a corporation official.