Chennai Rains: The gradient issue needs to be addressed at Thiruvengadam Street

A section of Thiruvengadam Street in Mandaveli and a road that branches from it are too low-lying for residents’ comfort; the SWD system does not compensate for the lack of gradient

On October 15, when the north east monsoon was ushered in, Thiruvengadam Street was way more gracious as a host than most other roads in the vicinity. It would not send the rainwater careening down the stormwater drains, but luxuriate in its presence, allowing it to linger on. That is a rather romantic way of looking at what unfolded on the day. For those who had to walk through the road, wading through the rainwaters, the overpowering emotion was certainly of a different nature.

As Thiruvengandam Street branches off Venkatakrishna Road, it takes what residents call an S-bend. Part of this S-bend, was water-logged. The waterlogging can be seen from Manasa Apartments and flood waters was staying put stubbornly on this road. There is a stormwater drain on this section of Thiruvengadam Street, but there is a gradient issue, causing water to accumulate on the road.

The water flows into a “tributary of a road”, one residents have nicknamed Gas Agency Road due to the presence of a gas agency. Gas Agency Road collects rainwater on its own as it is low-lying. It reportedly lacks a stormwater drain for the rainwater to slip into. A resident says efforts to have something approaching a stormwater-carrying apparatus was taken but without any success.

This road is a cul de sac as it ends hitting the compound wall of the police quarters.

K. Balasubramanian of RK Nagarra says, “On this road, which we call Gas Agency Road, stormwater drain construction has not been completed. A few years ago, we faced a problem of inundation, and we requested officials of Ward 126 of Greater Chennai Corporation to revamp the old stormwater drain system. They opened the drains and laid pipes, but that did not help, as the gradient issue was persisting, which has to be addressed to effect a meaningful solution.”

48 hours later: the day was clear, but not the ground

It seemed like a windfall — the holiday on October 16. While the day was out there, undrenched despite the original weather script, the ground was not. Usually, on a holiday, Alphonsa Ground on South Canal Bank Road would not offer an inch to take on. The ground was bearing the marks of the October 15 showers, even up to October 17, when these youngsters ventured in to play “water cricket”, wading through water to field a ball.