Chennai: Madipakkam streets flooded after Tuesday’s rain

CHENNAI: Rain on Tuesday night left about six streets in Madipakkam’s Srinivasa Nagar waterlogged, forcing residents to wade through them on Wednesday. Potholes on the streets compounded the residents’ woes.
The problem for residents of more than 200 houses in the area began in May when Metrowater began laying water pipelines. Now, people on Brindhavan Street, Sivaprakasam Street, Srinivasa Road, Ramnagar North and two others, under corporation wards 168 and 169 and very close to Velachery, are struggling.
Srikumar Balakrishnan, a resident, said Metrowater should speed up the storm water drain work and repair the road as soon as possible. “Tuesday’s showers were not that heavy but we are facing a lot of problems. So, we are worried what the situation would be during the upcoming monsoon. At least the agencies involved should take up temporary interventions to avoid water stagnation,” he said.
Ashok Jain, another resident of the low-lying area, said, “We have officially been issued drainage and water connections, but we are yet to get them. All sewage flows on to the roads. Whenever it rains, water stagnates on the streets.
Several residents complained to officials of the corporation and Metrowater, but no action was taken till Wednesday night. Neither motors nor any other equipment were brought in to remove the stagnant water, residents said.
A Metrowater official work under a water supply scheme project was on in the area. “We will complete it by July 2022,” he said, adding that roads and drains can be laid only after that.
Some of these roads have storm water drains but are blocked in many locations. “We understand they are undertaking a project, but they should have planned it properly,” said Ashok Jain. “On Wednesday, we had to wade through water after getting dressed and given the Covid situation, if we fall sick, it’s added trouble.”