Chennai Mayor inspects flooded roads, instructs workers to bail out water

Chennai Corporation tackles water stagnation and flooding aftermath with robotic equipment and amphibian vehicles, easing traffic congestion.

The Chennai Corporation reported water stagnation on several stretches, including subways, leading to disruption of traffic on Thursday following the rain that lashed the city on Wednesday night. As many as 16 of the 27 locations monitored in real time by the Integrated Command and Control Centre of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) recorded high rainfall of more than 64.5 mm and inundation of roads.

Mayor R.Priya inspected flooded roads and subways, including Perambur subway, and instructed the GCC workers to bail out water and ease the flow of traffic. The Monegar Choultry Road subway, Duraisamy Road subway, Manickam Nagar subway, Villivakkam subway and Nungambakkam subway were inundated during the rain. The GCC workers pumped water from all the subways, to ease congestion on the stretches.

Robotic equipment was deployed in canals — Gandhi Canal in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zone in ward 72, Vyasarpadi canal in Tondiarpet zone in ward 45 and Nolambur canal in Valasaravakkam zone in ward 143 — to ensure free flow of floodwaters.

Amphibian vehicles were deployed in Kodungaiyur canal to mitigate flooding in Kannadasan Nagar in Tondiarpet zone in ward 37. The ICCC in Ripon Buildings recorded rainfall in each neighbourhood to help mitigate flooding in important roads. According to data compiled by the ICCC, Ayapakkam, Ambattur and Anna Nagar West received very heavy rainfall of more than 115 mm between 6 p.m. on Wednesday and 6 a.m. on Thursday.  

As the rain gauges installed by the GCC in Chennai Central, Basin Bridge, Kolathur, Perambur, Kathivakkam, Tiruvottiyur, Alandur and Vadapalani recorded high rainfall of more than 64.5 mm, monitoring was intensified in flood-prone stretches in these areas. Perungudi with 35 mm received the lowest rainfall among the locations monitored by the ICCC. Chennai Corporation will receive complaints pertaining to water stagnation on helpline 1913.