TOI interview: Monsoon situation in Chennai

For the first time since the monsoon, Chennai Corporation officials and Tamil Nadu ministers took direct questions on damaged roads, functioning of storm water drains. Corporation Commissioner Vikram Kapur says never before has the corporation been so well prepared because of which there was no casualty or major damages to the city. Interiors will be flooded as there is no place for the water to drain as canals, rivers are brimming, according to them.
Mayor Saidai, commissioner Kapur — Metrowater chairman Chandrmohan, ministers Valarmathi and Gokula Indira held a press conference at Ripon buildings to discuss monsoon situation.
Excerpts:
You have appointed an IAS officer for every zone now. But people complain that corporation workers or agents haven’t come to help several people in the city.
Valarmathi: This information is wrong. All of us are on the field inspecting different flood-affected localities. Parties are turning the rain into a political issue and spreading such allegations.
Kapur: Everyday, 23,000 corporation workers are on the field. Even before deputing IAS officers, corporation had assigned one nodal officer for each of the 15 zones before the monsoon set in.
Workers are responding to complaints and going to most localities to help people as much as possible. We get about 1,000 calls a day. Some localities we aren’t able to respond immediately because the rainfall has been unprecedented, so number of inundated areas is higher. We have identified 789 waterlogged areas and this is mostly in extended areas and sometimes in core areas. A lot of calls come from the same apartment complex sometimes, our workers are there rectifying the situation but we won’t be able to respond to every call.
There is criticism that Chennai Corporation was not ready and not prepared for the monsoon. The roads are flooded almost everywhere.
Kapur: This is another allegation. Corporation planned and prepared for the monsoon six months ahead and have had several meetings. We have surveyed every area and come up with 588 flood-prone spots. Pumps sets were kept in these places before the monsoon set in which has never been done by corporation before. First time, 417 pumps were kept. If we hadn’t planned so much, we wouldn’t have been able to take so much action now. All plans have had an assumption of the rain, but this time even the MET couldn’t say that it would rain so much. In two-three hours, so much rainfall was unexpected and unprecedented.
Public believe that the primary reason for water stagnation is the inefficiency in storm water drains (SWD). Experts say that it wasn’t built on hydrological calculation. Do you think the crores of money used to build storm water drains in the last five years have been well spent?
Kapur: Reason for stagnation based on scientific study by corporation- Rains in outlaying areas apart from Chennai, catchment areas, all the tanks in newly added areas and beyond are almost full. Surplus from these tanks overflow into other tanks, so whenever there is a surplus there is a possibility that these tanks will overflow. In new areas there is negligible storm water drains so first causalities are these zones. Within the next three years, all these areas will be completed as Rs 4,500crores have been sanctioned for this and work has already started. Second impact is that all this water flows into the core city through traditional canals like Captain Cotton Canal, Buckhingham Canal, Otteri Nullah which flow into Cooum and Adyar rivers which are all brimming now. So wherever the water levels are high in these canals, whichever system of storm water drain you have - even the most efficient system will not work. Unless water level in rivers and canals come down, no amount of desilting, no amount of storm water drain will work and that is the problem in Chennai today. It’s incorrect to say it is the lack of desiling and lack of design. However, we have used mechanical machinery brought from outside the state to desilt. SWD drains have functioned efficiently in GN Chetty Road and General Patters road but still there will be flooding because SWD has to empty into Mambalam Canal and Adyar which are at a higher level now. Even though drains are clear, water cannot go into these canals- that is the problem today in extended areas and core areas.
Weather unpredictability is now a global issue. Since you say that SWD aren’t the only solution to stop flooding, what mitigation practices and lessons can we take away from this monsoon?
Kapur: Every monsoon for us is a learning experience. We had done a detailed mapping; a micro planning was done in 588 spots based on historical events. This is an input that will go into future planning. Chief minister has directed us to join hands with institutions such as Anna University, IIT, Institute of Remote Sensing to come out with better models, to see how we can mitigate the impact of such events.
Right now, emphasis is on relief. Our intention is to rescue people. If 18,000 cusecs wasn’t released from Chembarambakkam, the lake would have breached and the damage would have been worse. This was done after keeping us informed and in turn we informed all low lying areas through police, fire service. Corporation officials camped the whole night yesterday and we ensured that everyone susceptible were all shifted. Some people preferred to stay in their homes in the first or second floor. Because of efforts of corporation and other government agencies, there has been no casualty. Many people told us that after 10 years they are seeing this much of water. Earlier it could have led to casualties and too much of destruction. Emphasis is on proper planning, implementation and relief.
Several roads including Cathedral Road, Royapettah High Road, Velachery Main Road have been battered after the rains and commuters are suffering riding through potholes. Public complain that contractors have resorted to substandard work. Will you investigate this after monsoon?
Kandasamy K S (Deputy Commissioner, Works): We have done patch work along 1,300 square kilometres which we can do only when the road is dry. The 194 bus route roads that we relaid before the monsoon have withstood the rains — it is only when these roads meet interior roads which haven’t been relaid, there is a problem. The roads that are damaged have all been laid three years ago and every road including interiors will be attended after monsoon. The 194 roads are of high quality and the benchmark for future roads in Chennai.
Several localities complain of sewage and water mixing in extended areas and core city and that metrowater officials are not responding to complaints. Private lorries are reportedly letting out water into residential streets.
Metrowater chairman B Chandra Mohan - We are giving special emphasis to contaminated water. 5,000 trips are being made to give the city water supply. Since, manholes are on the road, storm water or rain water gets into the sewer system overcoming the system’s capacity. But, within a few hours as soon as water level in the system goes down, this becomes alright. We are using suction machines and jetting machines to clear blocks in the sewer systems.
Private sewage lorries only dump it in decanter points and we treat it there.