Beaches along ECR closed; OMR lanes flooded

East Coast Road beaches closed due to Cyclone Fengal, causing sea erosion and water stagnation in Chennai.

Beaches along the East Coast Road (ECR) were closed on Saturday and the public was not allowed due to rough waves caused by Cyclone Fengal.

Beach fronts in many fishing hamlets, including Kanathur Reddykuppam, faced sea erosion due to intense wave . “We lost about 30 mts of shore in the last two days. Boats and nets were moved to the road leading to the shore,” said Vadivel, a resident. Nainarkuppam, Mamallapuram and Nochikuppam faced similar problems with fishermen dragging boats and nets inland. 

At Kovalam, a police jeep stood guard not allowing people to cross the barricades. Bridges, including those at Kalaignar Karunanidhi Salai and Muttukadu, saw people standing and watching the waters and enjoying heavy winds. 

Both Rajiv Gandhi Salai and the ECR were devoid of much traffic as in the case of other roads in the city. This was also due to public transport not being allowed in the morning on both of these roads. Sholinganallur junction, a portion of Tidel park junction, and Karapakkam saw water stagnation. 

Though many shops were closed, most restaurants remained open and food delivery executives braved the rain to deliver food. “I saw several two-wheeler accidents. Riders either fell because they could not ride in knee-deep water or fell due to poor road surface and heavy winds,” said Chandru, who works as a watchman on OMR.

Harsha Koda, co-founder, FOMRRA, said that many roads leading off OMR faced water stagnation and residential welfare associations had kept heavy duty motors ready to pump out the water. “OMR is much higher than many side roads causing water to run down flooding streets and homes in low-lying areas. Permanent solutions are needed for these localities,” he added.