Deluge revisits Chennai despite five-long years and 10 K Cr for flood mitigation

Like history repeating itself, Chennai has faced yet another deluge after the disastrous one in 2015, leaving everyone with the question whether the administration has learnt any lesson from the past. Unbridled encroachment of lakes and water courses in the recent decades coupled with climate change have resulted in flooding. Lakes have either disappeared or shrunk. The DMK is six months into office and the present opposition AIADMK was in power for two terms. Even as both parties are engaged in a political slugfest, activists and environmentalists ask what the AIADMK government which was in power since 2015 had done even though announcements to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore were made.

Chennai: It was a catastrophe waiting but the city wasn't prepared to face it. After the horrendous 2015 floods, this time Chennai city is gasping for breath even after the rains have receded. Even before the onset of the northeast monsoon, there were concerns over how the city could cope with the wet spell. With even the roads laid in a hurry ahead of the assembly elections remaining battered and most of the residential localities, including those in the suburbs, in knee-deep water, questions are being raised about the whopping amount of funds allocated for flood mitigation in the last six years.

Precious little has been done in the past five years for effective stormwater drainage and to clear encroachments blocking watercourses. And, it was an invitation to yet another deluge. Despite the pompous announcements about “smart city” projects, a well-planned drainage system never appeared to be a priority for the previous All India Anna Dravida Kazhagam (AIADMK) Government led by Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS). Ironically, water logging is witnessed in most of the localities where Storm Water Drainage was built or left halfway through. The city's business district, Theagaraya Nagar and its neighbourhood were among the worst affected by the floods this time.

While Chief Minister MK Stalin has said that a probe will be ordered into the corruption in the ongoing smart city projects, the opposition AIADMK had blamed it on the inability of the DMK government to rise to the occasion. But, clearly, the AIADMK is in the dock as it had not acted on the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report which had listed out the reasons for the floods: unplanned urbanisation, encroachment and dumping in estuaries, lakes, river courses.

Moved by the plight of the citizens and the utter lack of preparedness, Madras High Court had rapped the administration, warning that it would act suo motu if the Chennai Corporation fails to address the situation in earnest.

Leaving aside the political slugfest, environmentalists and anti-corruption crusaders are questioning what happened to the financial allocations and the announcements towards flood management works.

“Announcements to the tune of Rs 6744 Crore were made in the budgets from 2016 onward. But nothing tangible had been carried out. In 2016-17, Rs 444.19 Cr was earmarked with NABARD and World Bank assistance. Subsequently, in the 2018-19, projects worth Rs 2,055.67 Cr and Rs Rs 1243.45 Cr were submitted to the Centre. And the 2020-21 budget announced that Rs 3000 Cr was sought from the World Bank. Besides these, the Corporation, Metro Rail have heavily invested in upgrading flood drainage systems. All these total nearly Rs 10,000 Cr,' says B Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental NGO.

Echoing the same, Jayaram Venkatesan of the anti-corruption watchdog, Arappor Iyakkam, blames the AIADMK government and corrupt officials for the present mess. “The prime culprits are the corrupt officials. In the past 10 years the AIADMK government had granted tenders only to those close to the powers that be. The result is for everyone to see. No work had been carried out properly. The DMK is in power for six months. But, no action has been initiated against officials facing serious corruption charges. The guilty should be brought to book, be they former ministers or serving officials,” he fumed.

Giving another dimension to the issue is environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman. According to him, industries dumping waste into water courses have greatly contributed to flooding in Chennai. “The Ennore estuary has been encroached upon initially by the Kamarajar Portat Kattupalli north of Chennai and later on by TANGEDCO. Draining of Kosasthalaiyar into the sea had been blocked and sea erosion is also having its impact especially in north Chennai. Real estate encroachment of Pallikaranai marsh and Velacherry lake is the bane of South Chennai,” he reasoned.