Caught between a lake and a marsh

September 18, 2016 12:00 am | Updated November 01, 2016 07:19 pm IST - CHENNAI:

Work to channel excess water to Pallikaranai marsh is still not complete, leaving residents worried

precautionary measures:The draining of water from Velachery lake is vital to preventing flooding in the area. —Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

precautionary measures:The draining of water from Velachery lake is vital to preventing flooding in the area. —Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

Velachery was once a village surrounded by lakes and the Pallikaranai marsh. Now, a rapidly-developing area, it usually gets flooded whenever the Velachery lake overflows.

In 2005, the city’s newest suburb with mushrooming residential colonies was submerged for days and earned a new sobriquet ‘Vella Cheri’ (place of constant flooding).

The rainwater from several areas in south Chennai flows into the Velachery lake and so, the draining of floodwater from the lake is crucial to minimise the flooding of the locality, says a Corporation official. Before the surge in development, the surplus water used to drain through the agricultural fields into the Pallikaranai marsh. With Velachery just two metres above the mean sea level and the marsh having shrunk drastically, the threat of flooding is real.

In 2005, the government proposed to channel the surplus water from the lake into the marsh by constructing a concrete canal along Velachery Main Road and divert it to the bay. But work on the construction of this 4.1-km-long diversional channel on Taramani Link Road began only in 2011. And after five years, the PWD officials say it is nearing completion.

Pointing out the challenges due to the rocky terrain, officials of the Water Resources Department of the PWD said construction was done after removing the rocks using technology to cut granite. “We have only 200 metres of work to complete near the bus stand. Of this, construction on 80 metre has to be done in coordination with Highways Department as they are laying the foundation for a grade separator,” said an official.

The new stormwater drain network was able to withstand the heavy rain until November last year but the opening of the sluice gates of Chembarambakkam lake in December prevented the rainwater from flowing into the marshland. This led to flooding in Velachery and areas downstream including Ullagaram-Puzhuthivakkam and Madipakkam.

The residents know that the inordinate delay in completing the project is one of the reasons for flooding. B. Vimala of Murugu Nagar, says poor desilting of stormwater drains is another reason. Indiscriminate encroachment and dumping of waste in the canal has added to the woes, residents say.

Residents are also concerned at the slow progress of the underground drainage work at Sarathy Nagar. With the Chennai Metrowater dragging its feet over completing the sewer pipeline work on the 5th and 3rd Streets, residents are facing severe hardships.

Officials, however, are confident that flooding can be mitigated as the stormwater drain network on many stretches like Nallathambi Street has been connected to the canal. The PWD is also replacing the sluice gates and proposes to de-weed and desilt the Velachery lake soon. Metrowater officials promise that old sewer lines will be replaced in a fortnight after which the residents will have a relief from sewage blocks.

All this before the monsoon, that may be hardly a fortnight away.

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