Chennai: For the second consecutive day, Chennai and adjoining districts received heavy overnight rains, accompanied by lightning and thunder, leading to waterlogging and traffic jams on Saturday morning. In south Chennai, several internal roads in Kottivakkam, Okkayam Thoraipakkam, Kannagi Nagar and Velachery remained inundated, and ongoing storm water drain (SWD), drinking water and sewage pipeline construction works further aggravated the situation. Waterlogging in Rajiv Gandhi Salai near the World Trade Centre slowed down vehicular movement in the morning, which subsided after the rainwater was drained out. According to data released by the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority, till 8.30 a.m., Sholinganallur recorded the highest rainfall of 17.05 cm, followed by Parys (16.95 cm) and Madipakkam (14.91 cm).
More than 20 rain gauge stations in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Ranipet districts recorded more than 10 cm of rain. Arcot in Ranipet recorded 14.06 cm of rain, while Tiruttani and Cholavaram in Tiruvallur recorded 13.1 cm of rain. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said the heavy rains were caused by the confluence of westerly winds from land and moisture-laden southerly winds from the Bay of Bengal. “This is a local phenomenon. Rainfall is expected to reduce in the coming days,” said RMC chief B Amutha. A low-pressure area is also likely to form over northwest Bay of Bengal around August 25. When DT Next visited Kottivakkam, roads in Judges Colony, Sathya Nagar and Nehru Nagar were submerged in knee-deep water. “The water has been stagnant below the knees for the past two days. During the monsoon a few years ago, it had reached chest level. More than 250 families here have been facing this problem for more than a decade,” said residents J Lily and D Sulochana. In Nehru Nagar, residents complained that sewage water was mixing with rainwater due to ongoing hydro-electrification works. “For the past one month, the roads of second and third cross streets are filled with stagnant sewage water,” said M Srinivasan. In Sakthi Nagar and Customs Colony in Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, roads have been damaged due to pipeline laying work. “Two motorists slipped and fell this week due to a leakage on the Sakthi Nagar main road. They escaped with a narrow injury,” said E Murugan, a car driver. However, there has been no major flooding in Velachery in the past two days. But residents pointed to poor arrangements for desilting and garbage removal. “Sludge from storm drains is lying on the roads, blocking the flow of water. The first main road, third main road and sixth cross street of AGS Colony are filled with mud,” said Geetha Ganesh, secretary of the local RWA.
