Chennai recorded 10.5cm of rain over 24 hours until 6am on Sunday, flooding parts of north Chennai and Velachery and exposing gaps in the city’s flood preparedness ahead of the northeast monsoon. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) said more than 15,000 staff cleared water from 35 roads and 16 subways overnight, while several neighbourhoods remained affected by clogged canals, incomplete drains and stalled flood-mitigation work.
Rainfall was particularly intense in several parts of the city. Parry’s recorded 36.3cm, Ennore Kathivakkam 34cm, Meenambakkam 28cm and Central 27.4cm, according to GCC data. Of the 21 locations that received very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, 14 were in north Chennai.
In Velachery, which recorded 2cm of rain, residents reported knee-deep water in Bhuvaneswari Nagar, Ram Nagar, AGS Colony and Tansi Nagar. Water receded within hours after pumps were deployed, but residents said the flooding revealed continuing problems in the local drainage network. Geetha Ganesh, secretary of the AGS Colony Residents’ Welfare Association, said water rose to about 1ft in some areas.
“Most drains here carry water towards Veerangal Odai, which is clogged with garbage and silt. Of the 3.8km-long canal, around 1.5km has been desilted,” Ganesh said. Residents also raised concerns about encroachments near six vent culverts around Vijayanagar bus terminus and Perungudi railway station.
North Chennai saw flooding on Prakasham Salai in Broadway and Vyasarpadi Jeeva, among other locations. At Vyasarpadi, a flyover project that was due for completion nearly a year ago remains unfinished. A drain channel leading to Otteri Nullah and collection wells intended to prevent subway flooding are also incomplete, according to the report.
GCC commissioner G S Sameeran inspected Prakasham Salai, while municipal administration and water supply secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi visited Vyasarpadi Jeeva. Chief minister C Joseph Vijay later reviewed preparedness at the GCC control room and directed officials to monitor weather updates and keep flood-response arrangements ready.
Residents’ groups said delays in desilting and flood-mitigation work had left vulnerable areas exposed. T K Shanmugam, president of the Federation of North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Association, said work that began a few months before last year’s northeast monsoon could not be completed because of insufficient machinery and was later stalled once the rains began.
In Pattalam, resident Ramaboopathy said a 24km stormwater drain built in 2024 had not been connected to nearby channels. On Perambur Barracks Road, clogged drains and silt-catching pits reportedly caused water to backflow into houses and ground-floor apartments. The GCC’s immediate response remains focused on pumping out water, clearing blocked routes and tracking further rainfall through its control room.
