Govt apathy causes floods as well as drinking water shortage in Chennai every year
But for isolated rains, the Northeast monsoon that torments Tamil Nadu has now started subsiding. Chennai, which was flooded in November, is yet to return to normal. Pools of water dot the main thoroughfare of Mount Road while suburban roads remain flooded. Local body officials are working overtime to pump out to the Bay of Bengal the floodwaters caused by the monsoon. In the metropolis and other adjoining cities, it has become a routine affair since 2002. Had the Government listened to experts and implemented a foolproof storm water drain system, Chennai’s drinking water needs could have been met easily, says Dr S Vincent, former member secretary, Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology, who has studied the problem since 2002 and alerted the powers that be about the poor conditions of the SWD as well as waste water drainage network in the city. But our rulers are more interested in continuing with their legal battle over Cauvery river water sharing with neighbouring Karnataka. The only ones benefiting from this perpetual court war are the high-end lawyers of the Supreme Court though a permanent solution remains elusive.
If Karnataka does not receive adequate rainfall during the Southwest monsoon, the Cauvery dries up and the State starts sneezing, resulting in Tamil Nadu getting a cold. Had there been a proper rainwater harvesting system in Chennai and suburbs, there would not have been any drinking water shortage in the metropolis but the politicians prefer to have piecemeal solutions such as water trains. The Tamil Nadu Government hasn’t taken a single initiative to date to address the perennial water shortage and to mitigate floods, which have become an annual ritual. The situation in Bengaluru is no different. The ‘Pensioners’ Paradise’ has lost its charm and is rated as one of the most polluted metros in south India. Gone are the water bodies and lakes that provided drinking water to the city residents. The metropolis is in an ever-growing mode and there are no more water sources to quench people’s thirst. The city got “super saturated” long back with people, buildings and other establishments, robbing it of the water bodies it boasted of, according to political commentator and environmentalist Manohar Yadavatti. We have to go for out-of-the-box solutions that would bring credibility to politicians and succour to the population.