“Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.”
This quote aptly and perfectly summarises the plight and flight of Chennai-ites in the last 15 days.
There were buses submerged in water under a bridge to go with the boats being used to ferry out people to safety. The sewer mixed with the waterlogging on the roads made the matters even worse. So, what is the point of having so much water surrounding your islandish house/flats and being confined in your own house like a prisoner without electricity, bitten by mosquitoes and unable to venture out to the nearby shops for buying a basic necessity as milk and water if the waters on the roads couldn't have been used effectively?
What began as a simple low pressure eventually culminated into receiving a vicious 23.5.cm rainfall on one fine extraordinary Sunday - the highest rainfall for a single day since 2005. As a result of the heavy rains that has left the city in a badly battered state, schools and colleges were closed for more than a week across the state and they are still closed even tomorrow (28/11/2015). Early haly yearly holidays for children without studying hard and writing their half yearly exams ! Ramanan is now being revered as the new Rain God - as far as school children and college goers are concerned! The impact of the depression was such that many offices were also closed, of course! with compensation, due to the potential risk to life besides the property that the damaging floods had caused to several parts of the city. Apart from certain areas in and around Mount Road, the rest of the city borne the severe brunt of the rains resulting in extensive and immense waterlogging and flooding thus throwing the city into complete chaos and disrepair.
It was just not only raining cats and dogs or coming down in bucket loads but also raining buffaloes, cows, goats and other domesticated animals along with coming down in jumbo tank loads! Such was the steady intensity and ferocity of the precipitation that it had brought the complete city to a silent standstill. The only sound that was breaking the pin drop silence was the mighty force of the whooshing wind and the pitter patter of the heavy showers due to the incessant cloudburst activity. The unflagging wet weather was really uncommon for a water-starved place like Chennai considering the dubious moniker she has earned for herself because of the scorching and sweltering summers - Hot, Hotter and Hottest.
With the majority of the rains that the city receives is due to the Northeast monsoon which accounts for 60% of her annual rains during this season, it was extremely surprising to see that Chennai was thoroughly unprepared for the event. Though Chennai is merely 7m above sea level, the natural strategic location of this beautiful landform cannot be considered as one of the chief causes for flooding. It goes beyond that. In fact, this disaster is purely man-made and the sooner we accept the reality the better it will be as it can ensure such situations do not occur in future again.
So, what is it that we have done that has completely thrown this busy city out of gear in such an unabated fashion? It is due to 3 reasons - geography, incompetent, ineffective and inadequate water drainage and finally, the massive urbanization that has been taking place in the city. Geography is something that is God given and naturally formed for centuries. We cannot do much about it. But, drainages and encroachments are directly connected with the city planners and the government. Every action could have been taken with prudent and proper plans to avert this catastrophe of this magnitude. It has come to light that the Pallikaranai marsh, a natural flood control barrier, has dwindled to one-tenth of its original size due to excessive construction activities with the meteoric rise of the IT industry along the OMR stretch. There were 150 water bodies in the city which is significantly reduced to only 27 now. The meaning is loud and clear to everyone. We have been building on these water bodies thus encroaching them to the level that drains could not be connected to an outlet. The result - internal flooding due to the artificial barriers that have been erected and thus serving as an massive obstruction to the natural flow of the water. Speaking of drains, though 10000 crores have been spent to build the storm water drains in the last 5 years, it seems that the urban planners have failed to take into account the hydrological aspect which is an indispensable and inevitable part for a city layout. Drains are as important as the roads when it comes to a city. It is very evident from the indisputable evidence that even the Harappan civilization had excellent drainage system in place to the likes of which has not been seen in a city like Chennai. It is really sad to see that the government still maintains their stance they cannot do anything beyond rescue and relief when instant proactive measures for short-term and long-term are the need of the hour.
Nature's fury is unpredictable and unstoppable but it can be drastically mitigated to a great extent. What has happened has happened. It is time to look to the future immediately so that the biggest industrial and commercial center in South India can at least ameliorate the lives of millions of residents who have been inhabiting this deeply culture-rich place for ages yet still has the tolerance to accept and accommodate millions of new comers, thus giving them a chance - an opportunity - to earn and grow in the lives. It is now up to the concerned authorities to ensure that the city also grows and develops in a proper and sustained manner to match this accelerated economic hustle and bustle so that people can lead a safe, secure and prosperous life.
X-----to be concluded----X
X-----to be concluded----X
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