City: Chennai

The recent spell of rains in Chennai saw large-scale inundation across the city. Visuals of residents wading in knee-deep water dominated the news. Many residents saw water enter their homes and found their belongings destroyed. Anguish and anger poured out on social media posts of those who went through this harrowing experience. And all along came questions about the city's many stormwater drains and why they failed to serve the purpose. Are the questions being asked of the stormwater drain project in the city legitimate? Could design flaws in the stormwater drains be a contributing factor to wide-spread water stagnation? What…

With torrential rains lashing Chennai since early November, which left several areas in the city such as T Nagar, Velachery and parts of North Chennai like Pulianthope inundated, the recurring and infamous phenomenon of unregulated and illegal construction in the city is back under the spotlight. Several reports and experts have pointed out yet again that along with faulty drains and blocked canals, rampant encroachments and illegal construction, especially along the banks of the Adyar and Cooum rivers and the Ennore-Kosasthalaiyar basin, have prevented water seepage, thus causing severe inundation. According to a recent report in The New Indian Express,…

Civic or community engagement is a continuous process, which requires relentless efforts. Members from Community Welfare Brigade W70Z6 and Perambur Neighborhood Development Forum have been actively engaging with the local administration and enforcement agencies on issues of public interest. While we have managed to address several issues, others are yet to be resolved. For example, what would a workable, efficient traffic plan for Perambur High Road entail? Community issues are complex and it’s important to make the problem-solving process inclusive so that decision-makers have a better understanding of their community’s needs and aspirations before setting a course of action. A traffic…

Half of Chennai without stormwater drains; sewer lines helped clear floodwater In the aftermath of the recent spell of rains that inundated the city, questions are being asked of the stormwater drain network that should have prevented water-logging. Data shows that more than half the city still doesn’t have a robust, well-connected network of drains, causing flooding during monsoons. The city has 2058 km of drains, which is less than 50% of the area that should be covered to prevent water-logging. In the absence of stormwater drains, data from the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has revealed…

Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, is one of the fastest-growing metropolitans in the country. The growing population and city expansion has stressed the existing infrastructure of Chennai, especially the transport systems. The transport sector needs to be planned to cater to the existing needs and meet the future demands of the growing population by taking into account changing travel patterns. Multiple studies have been conducted to devise a cohesive transportation plan for Chennai such as the Integrated Transport Plan 1977, Madras Area Transport Study 1986, Madras Route Rationalisation Study 1986, Traffic and Transportation Study for MMA 1986, Comprehensive…

It was around 5 am on November 7th, Sunday, when VS Jayaraman was woken up by his brother, who stayed in the ground floor of their apartment. There was considerable commotion at their apartment complex during the early hours of that day. Water had entered all the flats in the ground floor of the building, which is located on Motilal street in T Nagar, as a result of the heavy rains and the subsequent flooding in Chennai through the night of November 6th and the early hours of November 7th. “We immediately notified the Corporation officials as well as the…

Translated by Sandhya Raju 2015-ம் ஆண்டுக்கு பின், இது வரை கண்டிராத அளவு மழை கடந்த சில தினங்களுக்கு முன் சென்னையில் கொட்டித் தீர்த்தது. வடகிழக்கு பருவ மழைக்கு பின் வந்த இந்த அடர் மழையால் சென்னையின் பல பகுதிகள் தண்ணீரில் மிதந்தன. பல பகுதிகளில் வீடுகளுக்குள் தண்ணீர் புகுந்ததால், தாழ்வான பகுதிகளில் வசிக்கும் மக்கள் பாதுகாப்பான இடத்தில் தற்காலிகமாக தங்க வைக்கப்பட்டனர். நாட்டின் பல நகரங்களைப் போலவே, சென்னையில் ஏற்படும் வெள்ளத்திற்கு பல காரணங்கள் உள்ளன. இது சில ஆண்டுகளாக இன்னும் மோசம் அடைந்துள்ளது. இந்த பிரச்சனைகள் களையப்படவில்லை எனில், அடுத்த பத்து வருடங்களானாலும் வெள்ள பாதிப்பை தடுக்க முடியாது. நகர்ப்புற வெள்ளத்திற்கு வித்திடும் விரிவாக்கம் சென்னை மாநகராட்சிக்கு கீழ் வரும் நகர்ப்புற பகுதி, கடலை ஒட்டி அமைந்துள்ளது. முன்பு விவசாயப் பகுதியாக இருந்த சமயத்தில் அதற்காக பல ஆயிரம் ஆழமற்ற பெரிய ஏரிகள் அமைக்கப்பட்டன. சென்னையின் நிலப்பரப்பு…

Chennai faces week of deluge and water logging Chennai faced above average rainfall in two intense spells this week, leaving most of the city water-logged. Many residents found themselves marooned when heavy rains lashed the city, with power supply being cut to prevent mishaps. The city saw 5.5 times more rainfall than is the norm for November in just a week, leaving civic agencies scrambling to run rescue and relief operations. Multiple agencies including Chennai Corporation, the Fire department, and state and national Disaster Response forces were deployed to rescue stranded individuals and those in distress and provide shelter and…

A tragedy awakens public authorities like none other. Vehicles screeching to a halt near potholes, more often than not, stay out of their earshot until a gruesome accident jolts them. And it was the unfortunate demise of a 32-year-old tech professional, Mohammed Yunus, near Little Mount on Anna Salai, that has put the spotlight back on potholes in Chennai — a problem that is often brushed aside as “mundane.”  The Highways Department swiftly carried out patchwork across the entire road following the incident. A senior engineer at the department, who wished anonymity, said that a complaint was filed with the police…

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in 2010 passed the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) Act with the intention to oversee and coordinate the activities of the various agencies involved in the planning and operation of the transportation system in the city. However, a decade since the Act was passed, the much talked about nodal body is yet to get off the mark and remains largely on paper. Chennai city is famous for its multiple modes of public transport in the form of suburban trains and the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) operated by the Southern Railways, the Metro…