Flood volunteers recommend measures from the ground

Thousands of volunteers submit recommendations to Chennai government after recent rain, focusing on flood prevention and disaster preparedness.

From immediate completion of the pending storm-water drain project to creation of intentional flood zones, thousands of volunteers, who were on the ground when the first spell of northeast monsoon rain lashed the city recently, have come up with a set of recommendations to the government.

A team of 13,000 volunteers who worked with the Greater Chennai Corporation have submitted a comprehensive report on the impact of the recent rain to Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.

The report notes that the measures taken by the Corporation, coupled with the less severe rainfall than the December 2023 event brought on by Cyclone Michaung, helped to minimise waterlogging and ensure timely assistance to the residents.

Many volunteers were engaged in food distribution, coordination with officials, and monitoring of requests for help on social media. Relief centres and community kitchens, established by the Corporation, provided essential support to the residents. Yet, in certain areas like Thoraipakkam and Vyasarpadi, people did not receive the essentials from the centres initially owing to inundation. While there were some hiccups in food distribution, community kitchens in several wards addressed food shortages, according to the report compiled by Kuyilmozhi Arulmozhi and S. Snehasri.

Prem Kumar, a volunteer at Kannagi Nagar in Thoraipakkam, says stagnation reduced the day after the heavy rain, but food was not available to all. People could not go to work on October 16 as many places were shut by the rain. There were no vegetable shops, he said. This was flagged to the officials.

According to S. Snehasri, Iyyapanthangal, Paraniputhur, Porur, Semmencherry, Injambakkam, Manali, Madipakkam, Korukkupettai, Perumbakkam, Besant Nagar’s Thideer Nagar, Kodambakkam, Mylapore, and some areas at Anna Nagar had seen reduced flooding. “Some areas in north [Chennai] also showed improvement from the time of Cyclone Michaung. However, the rain was not as heavy as it was during the cyclone when it averaged out at 400 mm,” she said. The first spell of the northeast monsoon this year yielded only over 100 mm of rain.

Despite improvements, some parts of the city still suffer from waterlogging. Thideer Nagar at Otteri, Ganesapuran at Vyasarpadi, MKB Nagar, Pulianthope, Ezhil Nagar, Kannigapuram, Tansi Nagar at Velachery, Padikuppam Road, and the Ambattur Zone were affected by prolonged inundation, Ms. Snehasri notes. “We [the volunteers] are still identifying other areas and would bring them to the notice of the authorities,” she says.