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NT Bureau
Chennai, Aug 29:
 

T Nagar residents are hopeful that waterlogging would be a thing  of the  past and  expect authorities to desilt stormwater drains.

        Rains are god-sent for this water-starved metropolis. However, the showers are at times washed away, so to say, given the problem that they bring along.

        If the scenes witnessed after the deluge in 2005 and 2006 are to be a thing of the past, then it is time for the civic authorities to get down to work and desilt the stormwater drains.

        Waterlogging has been the bane of the city over the years, with stagnation being reported even on arterial roads after brief showers.

        Recently, residents at Jubilee Road in West Mambalam staged a protest against poor drainage facilities in the area. The smell emanating out of the stagnant water is intolerable and they called for immediate action in this regard.

        Chennai Mayor M Subramanian has claimed that the Corporation has carried out most of its flood-prevention measures that it had drawn up after the bitter experience of last year. Waterlogging turned life miserable in several residential layouts in T Nagar and West Mambalam.

        Silt, encroachments and dumping of garbage in waterways and stormwater drains were identified as the major reasons for rain water stagnating on roads and in colonies. Worn-out structures in the drainage were the other factors that contributed to the mess in areas such as CIT Nagar.

        The Corporation has taken up flood-prevention work, major portion of which has been completed. Stormwater drains have been constructed in areas that were severely affected by waterlogging.

        The Mayor said that work on construction of the retaining wall along the Mambalam Canal is under progress.

        The wall will prevent water from entering the layouts along the canal. The drainage canal is also being repaired. Vegetable waste choked the canal and caused flooding last year.

        While work is on, problems elsewhere remain. Stormwater drains are full of silt in Easwaran Koil Street. It has remained so for some years and this has led to the flooding during heavy rainfall.

        A few days ago, Corporation workers removed garbage that had been dumped into the drainage. All said and done, choking of the drains will stop only if people desist from dumping waste into it!

        The onus is on the people and the authorities to act and prevent flooding this time around. It is time to wait and watch.