A flood review meeting convened by the municipal administration and water supply department in Chennai on Friday was marked by a flurry of pointed questions from ministers, parliamentarians, and legislators regarding various pending civic projects, damaged drains, and blocked waterways.
Municipal administration minister K.N. Nehru and Central Chennai MP Dayanidhi Maran voiced strong concerns about the delays in development work. Maran specifically inquired about the flood mitigation measures being implemented by the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) in areas where metro rail construction is underway. Nehru raised a critical point, highlighting that the CMRL had blocked at least 20 outfalls, including significant ones like the Okkiyam Maduvu, the drain for OMR, Perungudi, and Pallikaranai. He questioned how water flow would be managed under these circumstances.
Responding to these concerns, CMRL officials assured that they would collaborate with the highways department to construct drains along Arcot Road. They committed to removing blockages at Okkiyam Maduvu by September 15th and to expanding the outfall to a width of 200 meters and a height of 1.5 meters by the monsoon season of 2025.
Meanwhile, health minister Ma Subramanian questioned the delay in expanding Okkiyam Maduvu, noting that a plan to restore the water channel was conceived back in 2010. WRD officials responded that they were currently preparing estimates for the restoration project.
Maran stressed the importance of keeping public representatives informed about the progress of various projects. South Chennai MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian directed her inquiry towards Chengalpet officials, questioning why the Nanmangalam lake had not yet been restored, despite her previous representations to the collector.
Sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin focused on specific areas affected by water stagnation, including Anna Nagar M Block and Choolaimedu. He also raised concerns based on the complaint of Perambur MLA R.D. Sekar regarding sludge accumulation in storm water drains in Perambur, questioning whether proper desilting had been conducted.
GCC commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran, emphasizing the civic body’s collaborative efforts with IIT-Madras to deploy machinery for drain clearance, stated that they had identified 4,000 roads that experienced flooding last December and were actively implementing interventions.
Responding to Udhayanidhi’s concerns about removing encroachments on water channels and widening them, the WRD officials confirmed that notices had been issued for the Adyar and Cooum rivers and that the encroachments would be cleared soon.
Nehru concluded the meeting by announcing that another review meeting would be held after 15 days to assess progress and ensure timely action on the identified issues.
