Every monsoon, there is one question that seeks an answer: has Chennai learned any lesson from the 2015 floods? As the Northeast monsoon starts with a bang, several parts of Chennai have once again witnessed heavy waterlogging, bringing back the nightmares of devastation wrought by intense rainfall and poor reservoir management in December 2015.
The depression that had formed on the Bay of Bengal and expected to bring misery to the city seems to have largely moved away. But the next two-three months are extremely critical for Chennai, which looks ill-prepared for any flood-like situation.
The flood prevention methods suggested by the V Thiruppugazh committee are being implemented and nearly two-thirds of the integrated stormwater drain project has been completed. It has covered nearly 90 percent of the core city areas. The chief minister said Chennai and its suburbs would get a permanent solution when the mega drain project, funded by multilateral agencies and implemented in phases, gets completed by 2025.
However, the long delay in getting the rainwater drained out in the last few days has raised doubts on the government’s claims. The civic authorities ended up using over 1,000 motor pumps to drain the water. Yet, some parts of the city remained flooded.
The government has cast a blind eye towards several other issues. There are no serious efforts to remove encroachments in marshlands even as new ones keep coming up. Post-2015 floods, the auditor general revealed that between 1989 and 2016, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority had approved 195 colonies on 175 hectares that were parts of numerous water bodies. Years of rapid urbanisation and unplanned growth have played havoc.
The streets without drains depend on manual efforts to pump out water, while the drains along other streets get clogged, thanks to unbridled littering by the public and businesses. Buckingham Canal, which carries rainwater from across the city to the sea, is not deep enough to carry flood water if there is an intense spell of rain.
Over the years, it has been grotesquely truncated. The lakes, floodplains, and canals are vanishing due to encroachment, which has taken a toll. Floods are now a fact of life in Chennai. The government must draw up a comprehensive plan alongside the drain project to manage and mitigate the risks that floods bring.
