CHENNAI: The worst of Cyclone Michaung was reserved for the usual suspects. Broadly, indiscriminate urbanisation and rampant encroachment along the water bodies are again held responsible for inundation. With a series of stories, TNIE zooms in on each of the worst-affected areas to figure out what went wrong on a micro level.
Thousands were forced to flee Perumbakkam last week as water levels rose to threatening levels. TNIE’s ground report from Perumbakkam village panchayat, which is spread over 832 hectares of area and houses a population of around 1,20,000, revealed that low-lying areas near the marshlands, which had become a real estate hotspot over the years, were the worst affected.
‘Realty’ check
Lying on the outskirts of Southern Chennai and along the Old Mahabalipuram Road, Perumbakkam became an obvious choice for realtors. The growth of real estate here also collided with the growth of the IT corridor. “Around 15 years ago, one ground of land cost `1 lakh, now it is sold for around `1.5 crore. The areas housing high-rise buildings were once agricultural lands. The lands got abandoned and finally the owners sold them to realtors,” said Sheik Alaudeen, who has been residing at Netaji Nagar in Perumbakkam for the past 30 years.
Arunagiri, a 27-year-old resident of Sholinganallur is a witness to this region’s transition. “A light rain spell is enough to submerge the areas near Global Hospital. All the apartment complexes cropped up here in the last 15 years. Not even a cent of land is available for sale in OMR. Whereas, the proximity to OMR and affordability made Perumbakkam a natural residential choice for IT professionals,” he further added.
Let us first take the case of Nookampalayam main road that runs through Perumbakkam and connects it with Semmenchery. The eastern side of the road is dotted with high-rise apartments and multi-storeyed residential complexes, while the western side of the road is decidedly called the old Perumbakkam area. As Michaung wreaked havoc last week, the areas surrounding the Global Hospital here ended up inundated for more than four days. Perumbakkam Urban Habitat Board settlement areas were also equally affected.
Confluence of canals
Several canals and waterways in the Kovalam river basin run through Perumbakkam and drain into the Okkiyam Maduvu through the marshlands, which spread from Perumbakkam to Pallikaranai.
Surplus water from the Sithalapakkam and Vengaivasal lakes flows into the Perumbakkam Lake and surplus overflow from the latter ends up in the marshlands through a swamp canal. Similarly, excess water from Ottiyambakkam and Madurapakkam flows into the Arasankalani tank which is connected to the main swamp canal through a separate channel. Water from the Thazhambur tank also drains into the marshlands in Perumbakkam, leading to the inundation of all streets nearby.
The water canal from the Perumbakkam lake to the swamp is severely marred by encroachments and its width is hugely restricted at various points. A map prepared by the WRD, depicting the trajectory of the canal, shows that it passes through several residential complexes and merges into the swamp canal.
As per a Public Works Department (PWD) estimate from 2009, as many as 358 encroachments existed in the water spread area and the bund of Perumbakkam lake. It may also be recalled that the National Green Tribunal in an order dated August 17, 2020, directed the authorities to clear all the encroachments within three years. However, according to revenue officials, there are now around 3,000 encroachments in the lake area alone and another 350-400 encroachments nearby.
No new illegal structures
A revenue official on the condition of anonymity told TNIE, “Though we were not able to clear any encroachments in Perumbakkam in recent years, we have made sure that no new illegal structure was constructed in the area.”
The revenue official told TNIE that all the affected apartments have pattas. However, WRD officials claimed that the pattas were converted for residential usage without any farsightedness. “The canals can only manage rainfall of up to 15 cm. Such heavy rainfall armed with high tides will inevitably lead to inundation. The marshlands should never have been converted to residential areas,” the official said.
In a bid to prevent flooding in Perumbakkam and Semmenchery by connecting the missing links of water canals, the Water Resource Department (WRD) has undertaken works worth `183 crore. The project is nearing completion.
Meanwhile, experts call for an immediate ban on any form of construction in such vulnerable areas. A Janagaraj, a renowned water management expert told TNIE, “The CMDA should have been cautious in issuing construction permits in vulnerable areas from the very beginning. These are not floods, it’s a manmade blunder. All the departments concerned should come together and chalk out a detailed plan to address this issue.”