Tehelka - The People's Paper

In Water We Stand: Most areas in Chennai lack proper drainage

During Chennai’s rains, there are always complaints of sewage mixing with the water. In 1985, when the city recorded 66.5cm rain in three days, public sector companies alone suffered a loss of about Rs 17 crore

The prospect of a Mumbai-like downpour lashing Chennai is scary. Experts reckon the damage would be far worse here. “Nearly 100 percent of the outskirts will be floating except St Thomas Mount. At least 2 million will be affected one way or the other. The worst affected will be Velachery, which will float in sewage and water (Metrowater discharges sewage at Pallikaranai and Perungudi near Velachery),” says G. Dattatri, former chief town planner, Chennai Metopolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and former un Habitat adviser. The prestigious it corridor too will be under water, bringing work to a standstill.

Most of the recently developed areas do not have a proper drainage system. The Chennai Corporation Area and Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) are two separate entities served by different agencies. The corporation has jurisdiction over 172 sq km, while the CMA, including the suburbs, accounts for 1,170 sq km. Colonies have sprung up on the outskirts and the city has grown much beyond corporation limits. There are about 12 municipalities, 20 town panchayats, 18 census towns, and 200 village panchayats within the CMA. As Dattatri points out, “These are a part of Chennai for all practical purposes, though many are classified as village panchayats.”

Within CMA, local bodies manage storm water drains and sewer systems. But their performance has been pathetic, and most suburbs don’t have drains or sewers. In the corporation area, responsibilities are divided between the Chennai Corporation, which maintains storm water drains, and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (also called Metrowater), which handles water supply and sewage. Metrowater has not lived up to expectations. During the monsoon, there are complaints of sewage mixing with the water.

The Chennai Corporation’s drainage system is also not designed to cope with copious downpour. Chennai receives an annual rainfall of 120cm. In November 1985, when the city recorded 66.5cm rain in three days, many areas were inundated. According to an estimate, public sector companies alone suffered a loss of about Rs 17 crore.

At present, the Corporation maintains 855km storm water drains out of a total road length of 2,500km. Officials claim things have improved since 1985. Chennai Corporation Chief Engineer M. Panneerselvam says, “We are better prepared now. All 16 canals were desilted in 2003 after 30 years. We add 10-12km of drains every year.”

Few are convinced, though. “Desilting has to be done along the entire course of the canals and rivers in order to be effective in preventing floods,” says MG Devasahayam, a former ias officer and managing trustee of sustain, a group that articulates urban concerns. Cautioning against any complacency, he says, “Whoever thought Mumbai would receive more rain than Cherapunjee in a day. You can’t feel secure in the law of averages.”

Experts feel containing floods in Chennai could be a tough proposition as the Cooum and Adayar rivers have obstructions in their course. The Buckingham Canal has been rendered ineffective due to the construction of rail-based Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) on its bank.

Also each local body draws up its own plans without coordinating with other municipalities. It is on this account that a 1991 study by CMDA recommended coordination among local bodies in CMA. The study also suggested the creation of an umbrella organisation for the CMA’s local bodies and extending Metrowater jurisdiction to the whole CMA.

Fifteen years on, nothing’s changed apart from the fact that Metrowater’s sewerage network has gone up from 74 percent to 97 percent between 1978 and March 2005. Experts feel Chennai should learn a lesson from the situation in Mumbai. “There should be equitable urban growth. At present, around 70 percent of the allocation for urban and infrastructure development is earmarked for Chennai. This ratio should change,” says KP Subramanian, retired professor of urban engineering, Anna University.

The government’s skewed approach towards development is a cause for concern. Says Dattatri, “The government is ignoring some recommendations made by various studies. The previous government built flyovers and the present government is beautifying parks. Though development of parks is good, extensive paving of the gardens is going to be a disaster.”

What experts admit is that if Chennai undergoes what Mumbai did, the damage will be many times greater. A government official points out, “Chennai has flat terrain and the land is just four feet above mean sea level. When it rains and the sea gets rough, the sea and land levels are almost the same, preventing the flow from canals into the sea.”