Residents of north Chennai have complained about critical gaps in monsoon preparedness and demanded emergency work be carried out by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in coordination with other civic agenicies to clear drainage bottlenecks ahead of the next spell of rain.
According to a study released on Saturday by local residents with support from NGOs, hydrological assessment identified fly ash deposits across 3.51 sq. km in Ennore Creek, equivalent to 492 football fields, blocking drainage and worsening floods in north Chennai areas such as Vyasarpadi.
Among the participants in the study in Vysarpadi, a neighbourhood of north Chennai, 99.2% of the residents were affected by flooding previously.
Ward 46 resident N. Nancy, claimed that many critically-ill residents had died owing to floods in 2023, with three feet water stagnation in the area lasting for five days.
“We demand measures by the government for a future where we can live without flooding and its impacts, This year we have not experienced flooding so far. But the risk is high,” said V. Dinesh of JJR Nagar.
