Tamil Nadu: Monsoon starts with bang
Mudichur and Urapakkam did not have power for over six hours due to the rain and water seeped into the houses of Lakshmi Nagar.
Chennai: The northeast monsoon that finally made its presence felt on Monday with heavy downpour, left most parts of the city in pools of water and heavy traffic snarls. Mudichur, Tambaram, Nandanam, Ambattur, T. Nagar, Pallavaram and Ashok Nagar were some of the most affected areas. The traffic, which was already paralysed at Nandanam was worsened as a huge number of people thronged to the area to pay tributes to Thevar Statue on Thevar Jayanti. Incomplete stormwater drain work and improper channelising of water into the rivers added to the woes of the residents.
“Most of the workers abandoned SWD work either due to lack of funds or time as they had to finish before the onset of the monsoon. Now, most of the roads are narrowed due to the work and open drains submerged in water pose a risk of accidents,” said M. Kalpana, a resident of Korattur.
Similar was the plight of Ambattur industrial estate area that witnessed heavy traffic snarled due to burrowed roads and puddles. Residents rued they had to manually drain the water using buckets despite of the “unending announcements” of the corporation on monsoon measures for flood prevention.
Two years down the line, Mudichur and Perungalathur were again flooded with knee-deep water forcing the motorists to take Vandalur Road to reach Mudichur. OMR-Pallavaram flyover equally bore the brunt of the floods and numerous motorists had complained of open manholes on the service lane.
“Mudichur and Urapakkam did not have power for over six hours due to the rain and water seeped into the houses of Lakshmi Nagar. December floods were a nightmare and now, the first day of monsoon showers give us chills as it is worse already,” said K. Balakrishnan, a resident of the area. The stretch from Ekkattuthangal-Thirumangalam also witnessed heavy traffic snarls with passengers taking over two hours to cross the stretch. Motorists complained that the traffic regulation near the Ashok Nagar signal was poor.
However, the 100-feet road opposite Koyambedu bus terminus, which usually gets submerged in rainwater, was surprisingly clean and dry. The reason is attributed to the recent storm-water drain work in the area.
Areas that witnessed heavy water-logging on Monday
- Anna Nagar
- Vadapalani
- West Mambalam
- T. Nagar
- Ashok Nagar junction
- Nandanam
- Mogappair
- Ambattur
- Perambur
- Mudichur
- Perungalathur