Good morning, Chennai!
☁️ Today’s weather: Mostly cloudy for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The area of Velachery dates back to the 10th century. The Selliamman temple has an inscription that identifies the place as “Velichery”.
🌊 IT corridor’s flooding woes
As the rain subsided, several localities in OMR remained inundated.
What happened? Areas in Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) like Sholinganallur, Thoraipakkam, and Perungudi received the maximum rainfall of 45 cm on Monday. Despite stormwater drains in the area, water gushed into buildings as residents moved to higher floors.
- The drains were laid in 2008 and have less run-off capacity. In many interior residential areas, there aren’t any stormwater drains. Low-lying roads and clayey soil didn’t help matters.
- Many residents were forced to move to higher floors, with no power or mobile and internet network coverage. While rescue teams deployed boats to reach inaccessible localities, OMR remained elusive as calls from residents to representatives went unanswered.
What are the reasons? The lakes in southern Chennai were created for irrigation. However, they exceeded their capacity. During heavy rains, water levels are up to four times the normal rate. It could take another two to three days for the water to drain completely.
🌧️ Losses at Ambattur Industrial Estate
In the aftermath of Cyclone Michaung, the industrial estate is struggling to return to normal.
What’s it about? The Ambattur Industrial Estate is home to many medium and small enterprises that produce engineering goods. The heavy rains and flooding have caused an initial ₹500 crore in damages.
- The inundation was due to water spilling over from the canal from the Ambattur Lake to the Korattur Lake through the estate. Due to the rain, the canal was at twice its capacity and flooded the northern phase of the estate.
- The damage from this could be more than that caused in 2015. The estate employs 1 lakh people working in 2,000 companies.
What can be done? One possible solution is a cut-and-cover tunnel over the canal to prevent excess water from spilling over. The Tamil Nadu Small Industries Development Corporation Limited said it would study the issue and find a solution.
🌊 Deja vu for Velachery
Since the 2015 floods, not much has changed for Velachery as flooding woes persist.
What’s it about? In residential neighbourhoods in Velachery, residents were left to struggle with 4 feet of water and no power or water supply. For many residents, it was a repeat of 2015 as improved infrastructure didn’t make much of a difference.
- Since the Velachery Lake was breached, there has been more water compared to 2015. The excess water is supposed to go to Pallikaranai through a canal. Back then, the Corporation warned residents but this time there was no warning since they didn’t expect this much rain.
- Residents complained about the lack of help from administration officials. Many had to wade through the water taking 30-45 minutes to reach the main road from the interior areas.
Areas affected: In neighbourhoods like Vijayanagar, Ramnagar, Murugan Nagar and Kuberan Nagar, the first boats came on December 5 and carried kids and elderly people to safety. Others chose to remain as they couldn’t leave their belongings unguarded.
🐾 Vandalur Zoo flooded
Some portions, including animal enclosures and a lake inside the zoo, were flooded.
What’s it about? Cyclone Michaung caused damage inside the Vandalur zoo premises. Several animal enclosures were flooded and 30 trees were felled. However, despite the damage, zoo officials said the animals are safe.
- While some personnel were unable to reach the zoo, the available staff on hand were able to feed and take care of the animals.
- The compound walls on either side of the Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road were damaged. This resulted in flooding in some areas. The Otteri Lake inside the zoo also overflowed.
What’s being done? The water levels inside the zoo are being monitored and excess water was drained out with motor pumps. The drainage system was cleared of debris to ensure proper drainage.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you think the city fared better compared to the 2015 floods?
- The city fared better compared to the 2015 floods.
- The city didn’t fare better compared to the 2015 floods.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What lessons need to be learned so that the city doesn’t face a similar situation as it just did?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- The Formula 4 race scheduled for December 9 and 10 has been postponed.
- The fourth edition of Chennai’s music season, the Margazhi Matram, is all set to begin.
- Vulnerability mapping is a must for the city to not experience similar flooding incidents.
- Cyclone Michaung brought more rainfall to Chennai compared to 2015.
- The DMK government will be under scrutiny as Chennai once again reels under floods.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- My locality is a safe place for women during the night: 66.7% 🏆
- My locality is not a safe place for women during the night: 33.3%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which Tamil news channel do you watch regularly?
Suchi: “Thanthi TV”
Nirja: “Puthiya Thalaimurai”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!