Residents of Valmiki Nagar in Thiruvanmiyur did not face prolonged inundation. They had ensured they did not. Even during times of heavy rains, the locality had stagnant water only for a few hours. Water would drain off the lanes quickly.
For eight years, this neighbourhood has been winning the battle against inundation this way, every time it rains. Do they have a secret weapon?
Besides having the mandatory rainwater harvesting structures at houses, Valmiki Nagar residents took a lot of trouble to ensure that every drop of water that falls on the interior roads is saved.
According to Venakat Raman, a resident, “In 2009, with the guidance of Rain Centre, Valmiki Nagar Residents Welfare Association identified low-lying areas in the colony and constructed rainwater harvesting structures —four on Balakrishna Road, two on Fourth Seaward Road and one on First Seaward Road. We constructed these wells at our own expenditure.”
Also, apartments came forward to take up this cause. Rainwater-harvesting structures were constructed on the streets as well and they were connected with the ones within our apartments. Another resident Usha Shreedhar says, “Our apartment, Residency Balakrishna, on First Seaward Road, has eight flats. The entire cost was around Rs.7,000 (for the RWH in the street) and it was borne by all the eight families.” In Valmiki Nagar, around 10 apartments created such public facilities at their own expenditure.
Saving water is an obligation and the cost factor should not bother us. In fact, taking this measure has only helped us save money over the years. Now, we don’t spend much towards getting water from tankers,” says Usha.
We believe SWDs do not help in conserving rainwater. In fact, the drains remain clogged with garbage and sewage and they become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Moreover, rainwater is let into Buckingham Canal which in turn flows into Bay of Bengal, through the man-made channel, which is a criminal waste of a freshwater source. It is not an appropriate measure to save water. We should ensure that rainwater is absorbed by the earth and not allowed to enter the sea. In fact, rainfall in Chennai is quite adequate to cater to its population but we should be smart enough to conserve it,” say the residents
Also, two years ago, the Valmiki Nagar residents supported the protest of Shastri Nagar residents against the construction of stormwater drains (SWDs). “Though we were not able to stop the construction of SWDs at Shastri Nagar, somehow we managed to prevent the construction of the same at Valmiki Nagar,” says resident Usha Shreedhar.
As another benefit from this measure, seawater ingress has been reduced as the groundwater is being constantly replenished, says resident Sathish.
