The rain-ravaged rain TPK Road Near Periyar bus stand in Madurai.
| Photo Credit:
G. MOORTHY
The Lake View Garden 1st Street road in KK Nagar in Madurai looking like a water pool.
| Photo Credit:
G. MOORTHY
The bad condition of Palayamkottai Road in Thoothukudi.
| Photo Credit:
N. RAJESH
A crater in the middle of VVD Signal Main Road in Thoothukudi.
| Photo Credit:
N. RAJESH
The sporadic spells of heavy rains in the southern district due to cyclone Ditwah have once again put the spotlight on substandard quality of roads in Madurai city.
Though the bad condition of roads is not a new scene to the people, the cyclone-induced-rain has worsened the situation.
The infrastructure defects—already evidenced by several potholes and water logging—are turning even a brief rain into a full-blown crisis.
Engineers attributed the resulting mess to the civic body’s non-adherence of proper geometric and gradient principles, essential for analysing a road’s width and alignment of slopes.
As in most places of the city like District Court Road, Anna bus stand, Anna Nagar, Munichalai, since the road gradients have not been adjusted to facilitate smooth flow of rainwater, water stagnation is now a chronic issue, leading to severe waterlogging during even mild rainfall and compounding the damage caused by existing potholes.
The key factors behind flooding on roads are the unscientific elevated road levels, which resulted from the majority of roads being recarpeted without following proper engineering methods, said an engineer working on public infrastructure projects.
The stagnation of water indicates a flaw in the road design, leading directly to the deterioration of the pavement structure, he added.
In addition, the repeated repair works on the road for installation of Underground Drainage (UGD), cables, among others, were furthering the damage to even newly laid roads.
While improper planning and lack of co-ordination between various departments were the primary reason for such a mess, the resulting poor execution of civil works ultimately created conditions—like unscientific road levels—that lead to frequent flooding and long-term pavement damage.
“Whenever it rains in Madurai, the roads become dangerous to drive on. This is a result of inadequate maintenance of the drainage system, which fails to remove the water from the streets and roads effectively,” said R. Jennifer Jafreena, a resident of Thirunagar.
She added that the pothole-riddled roads, along with flood-like water, significantly increase the risk of accidents.
In locations like Surveyor Colony, Anna Nagar, KK Nagar, Palanganatham, South Bank Road, South Veli Street, Old Kuyavarpalayam Road, Tirupparakundram Road near Periyar Bus Stand, Sellur Kaliamman Temple Street, among others, the bad shape of roads creates treacherous driving conditions, especially during rainfall, highlighting the consequences of structural defects.
J. Manickam, ward 24 councillor, speaking of the issue, said, “Though funds were allocated for laying and restoring roads, due to the administrative confusions like resignation of Mayor and zonal heads, none of the works Ie being carried out efficiently.”
The process of fund allocation would usually go through zonal heads, and since the roles were vacant, the respective Assistant Commissioners were overseeing such works.
However, he said, an elected representative’s role could not be easily done by an official.
Due to projects like Mulla Periyar drinking water scheme, the roads that were dug randomly for installation of pipes had not been restored yet, he alleged.
In many areas where the Corporation claimed they have re-laid the road, the shoddy work had been reflected in the recent rains, Mr. Manikam noted.
A Corporation official said that they carried out road repair works aiming to complete them before the onset of monsoon.
“Though we have met the deadline set for work completion, some of them are yet to be completed. Once the rain stops we will resume the works,” the official added.
Not just in Madurai, the heavy rains that lashed the southern districts, particularly coastal districts like Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari witnessed heavy infrastructure damage.
Thoothukudi city, one of the fast growing industrial hubs in Tamil Nadu, is currently grappling with damaged roads across various parts of the city.
In May 2025, Thoothukudi Corporation announced that 1,500 roads would be re laid within the Corporation limits for the current financial year 2025-2026. Although work is under way in many parts of the city, potholes and other damage continue to pose A significant threat to the public.
M.S. Muthu, Thoothukudi city secretary, CPI (M), said that apart from smaller streets within the Corporation, the Thoothukudi-Palayamkotai highway has been damaged at several locations, including VVD signal and Third Mile.
He noted, “Damaged roads can easily be seen in Miller Puram, Raju Nagar, P&T Colony and George Road.”
Mr. Muthu added that while the Corporation is taking measures to relay roads, potholes and damaged portions require immediate attention.
AIADMK councillor Manthiramoorthy, representing ward 51, echoed similar concerns, noting that ongoing and incomplete Underground Drainage System (UGD) work in certain areas has worsened the road condition.
Speaking on the issue, an official from Thoothukudi Corporation said that the 623 km of road are currently being relaid and a tender worth ₹75 lakh has been floated to carry out patchwork in damaged stretches across the four zones.
“Similarly relaying work on national highways in city limits will be carried out in coordination with the highways department,” the official said.
Meanwhile in Nagercoil, major localities in the city, including MS Road, Asambu road, Kottar and Avvai Shanmugam Salai are some of the areas, witnessing damages, causing hardship for motorists.
The MS Road in Vadasery, one of the major arterial roads of the city, has been damaged with potholes throughout its stretch.
In some areas, roads dug up for drinking water pipeline work are yet to be completely restored, posing safety risks since substantial portions of the road have been used for the project.
Vishnu, a resident of Ramanputhoor pointed out that many roads in many rural areas of the district are in comparatively better condition than roads in city limits. He added that for months, commuters using Nagercoil-Kanniyakumari highway in Kottar and MS road, have been struggling for months, owing to its poor condition.
Abilash, a truck driver from Thengamputhoor noted that a road dug up for another infrastructure project in Thegamputhoor market area and Thengamputhoor-Pallam road is yet to be restored, noting that it has been in a similar condition for over three months.
An official from Nagercoil Corporation said that they had already paid the state highways department before digging highway roads for drinking water projects, and restoration is expected to begin shortly.
He added that for the remaining damaged stretches, the Corporation had floated a tender for ₹60 lakh, and repairs will commence soon.
(With inputs from Shankari Nivethitha)
