North, central Chennai bear brunt of cyclone for second day

CHENNAI: Cyclonic Storm Ditwah weakened into a depression, but for the second consecutive day, intermittent heavy to moderate rain continued to drench Chennai, inundating main roads and low-lying neighbourhoods in the northern and central parts of the city, with thousands of residents experiencing shin-deep to knee-deep stagnation as sewage mixed with rainwater, posing health risks and affecting vehicular movement.

Parts of north and central Chennai bore the brunt of the downpour. The worst-affected areas included Kannigapuram, Perambur, Mullai Nagar, Ezhil Nagar, Mettupalayam, Pattalam and Purasawalkam, as well as pockets of Nungambakkam, Kodambakkam and Kilpauk.

In Mullai Nagar, Ezhil Nagar, Sathaya Moorthi Nagar, Mangalapuram and surrounding areas, including dense working-class localities in Tondiarpet and Vyasarpadi, residents faced persistent flooding. “Knee-deep sewage-mixed water has been stagnating in Sanjay Nagar, Vasantham Nagar, Golden and Mullai complexes and on Sathyamoorthy Nagar Main Road. The failure of motor pumps delayed drainage throughout the day,” said B Sarath, a resident of Vyasarpadi.

K Prabakaran, a mechanic from Ezhil Nagar, said the rain had disrupted two days of earnings for many working-class families. “People here work as loadmen, auto drivers, sanitation staff and in small workshops. The vehicles parked on interior roads were damaged due to stagnant water, and our livelihood was hit. Residents can only hope for a better tomorrow,” he said.

In Perambur, flooding persisted across BB Road, Bharathi Road, Patel Road, Stephenson Lane, the Ganeshapuram Subway and the Perambur bus terminus. Ragu Kumar Choodamani, convenor of the Perambur Neighbourhood Development Forum, blamed delays in stormwater drain (SWD) work. “Despite repeated petitions, the SWD work on Perambur High Road North Side was stalled to prioritise the opening of the Ganeshapuram Subway. This has created a colossal mess,” he said. "The restoration of SWDs on Patel Road and Vadivelu Main Road should have been completed during the summer. Ironically, work began just before the onset of the monsoon,” he said. Residents of Pattalam and Mettupalayam stressed that GCC officials must act on draining stagnant water at the earliest.

In central Chennai, residents of SP Balasubramaniyam Street and Kamarajapuram in Nungambakkam said they had received no assistance. “For two days, shin-deep to knee-deep water has affected students, office-goers and women who use this stretch to reach Kodambakkam railway station. Why are GCC workers not pumping out the water? Rainwater is entering ground-floor houses,” said Vinith, a college student.

In Kodambakkam, water stagnation was reported in Azeez Nagar and on Rangarajapuram Main Road, though officials later cleared the latter stretch. In Kilpauk, shin-deep water on Ormes Road and Bishop Ezra Sargunam Road disrupted traffic.

R Kannan, coordinator of the Central Abirami Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association, said interior roads in Abiramapuram were filled with potholes. “Poor road design caused stagnation on Abhiramapuram 1st street in Alwarpet. Earlier in the day, water also stagnated on Dr Radha Krishnan Salai, but it was later cleared,” he said.

Residents across these neighbourhoods said repeated flooding after every spell of rain pointed to persistent gaps in stormwater management and civic preparedness.