Madipakkam residents have urged the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Water Resources Department (WRD) to assess a key drainage confluence and consider a flow-guiding wall to reduce recurring flooding across six residential localities before the Northeast monsoon.
The proposed intervention is at the point where the surplus-water channel from Narayanapuram Lake meets the Balaji Nagar storm-water drain and discharges into a common receiving channel. Residents say the location needs an engineering assessment to determine whether the confluence is creating a bottleneck during intense rainfall.
Balaji Nagar, Kubera Nagar Extension, LIC Nagar, Alayammal Nagar, Ram Nagar and Mahalakshmi Nagar have repeatedly experienced waterlogging during heavy rain, according to the Madipakkam South-East Youth Welfare Association. The association has asked the civic body and the WRD to conduct a joint field inspection and identify immediate maintenance and engineering measures.
The Narayanapuram Lake surplus-water channel is about 30 feet wide, while the Balaji Nagar storm-water drain is about eight feet wide. Both meet at the same location before flowing into the receiving channel. Residents say surplus water released from the lake and storm-water runoff carried by the drain converge during intense rainfall, creating flow conditions that may reduce drainage efficiency and contribute to water accumulation in nearby neighbourhoods.
S.B. Sekar, president of the association, said residents had sought an assessment of the confluence to identify possible bottlenecks. P. Rajendran, a senior committee member, said the proposed flow-training wall would be intended to guide the lake’s surplus water, improve the discharge of storm-water from Balaji Nagar and regulate the flow at the meeting point.
The residents have not proposed a fixed design for the structure. They have asked engineers to determine its location, alignment, dimensions and design after carrying out a hydraulic and structural assessment. The requested inspection would examine the channels’ capacity, levels, gradient, flow direction and possible obstructions.
Residents have also sought desilting and cleaning of the receiving channel and the Balaji Nagar drain, along with the removal of garbage and weeds. They have asked officials to inspect culverts and other drainage structures, assess the channels’ carrying capacity during peak rainfall and continue monitoring the network after heavy rain.
Sethuraman, a resident of Kuberan Nagar Extension, said the association had submitted a representation seeking immediate cleaning and maintenance of the drainage network, along with any additional engineering interventions recommended by the authorities. He said the authorities had yet to respond to the request.
The association has urged the GCC and the WRD to take up any technically feasible flow-guiding structure on priority before the Northeast monsoon. The next steps sought by residents are a joint field inspection, a technical assessment of the drainage network and a decision on whether the proposed wall can reduce flooding risks to residential properties and roads.
