Nedungundram residents flag regular flooding, say locality lacks proper storm-water drains

Several streets in Nedungundram village near Agaramthen have been inundated due to the absence of integrated storm-water drains. The locality has become prominent after Tambaram East Bypass Road was laid to link GST Road with Velachery Main Road. The area has also been witnessing huge real estate growth with several multi-storey apartments coming up.

Despite the presence of a large number of multi-storey apartments residents have to contend with bad roads and the lack of a proper storm-water drain facility in Puthur, Sri Sai Avenue, Perumalpuram, Mappedu, Krishna Nagar, and Bharathidasan Nagar.

Herbertraj, a resident of Sri Sai Avenue, said every year the locality was flooded owing to lack of proper drains. He said residents of Puthur had been experiencing inundation during monsoons for the past seven years, with no remedial measures having been taken by revenue officials of Chengalpattu district.

Social activist and a geographic information system (GIS) consultant Dayanand Krishnan said flooding in Nedungundram happened as a result of rainwater runoff from four waterbodies, including Nedungundram and New Perungalathur Lakes. He has conducted a GIS study for flood mitigation in the locality, wherein he has sought for the construction of macro channels for draining surplus water from the Nedungundram Lake.

The residents said the GIS report for flood mitigation had been readied and submitted to all officials, including the Chengalpattu Collector, but no steps had been taken in this regard. The Water Resources Department (WRD) has a proposal to build channels to bridge the missing links between various waterbodies draining into the Pallikaranai marshland.

WRD officials said the Puthur Thangal Lake in Tambaram fell under the jurisdiction of the St. Thomas Mount Block Development Office (BDO). Given the impact of past floods, the St. Thomas Mount BDO has proposed a ₹15-crore project to construct a channel to restore the missing link between the lake and Pallikaranai marshland.

After the project approval and funding assistance are obtained, the project to construct a canal will be executed next year to curb inundation in the residential areas. The WRD implemented a similar project to convey the surplus water from the Narayanapuram Lake to Pallikaranai marshland.