Will The Ark be ready before the rains?

-- by Sriram V.

This is the question that is uppermost in the minds of most residents of the city. With December fast approaching, people are concerned after the experience especially of the past couple of years. On the part of the administration, pronouncements are certainly making their appearance at frequent intervals, though some of them seem to be conflicting and contradictory. Of action on the ground however there are very few signs and what is worse, there is a widespread lack of confidence in whatever has been done. People seem to be resigned to the worst. Surely, a seemingly caring government can do better.

It all began in August when the Hon’ble Chief Minister made a statement on the 5th that the city was prepared to face any amount of rain. This, in a broad philosophical sense is perfectly true given that the city has not shown any sign of being abandoned despite repeatedly heavy monsoons, flooding and resultant chaos. The people are resilient. It is also noteworthy that the CM made a similar statement on November 5, 2023. The month of December last year is not one that his party or administration would want to look back at in the light of that statement.

But there was more to ­follow. Barely a week after the CM’s confident assertion, the mayor in an interview more or less admitted that floods were bound to happen. “Climate change is drastic, we have to be ready for heavy rain,” was what she said. The Commissioner went a step further, on August 24. “Flooding unavoidable this monsoon in Chennai,” he admitted. This sentiment was echoed by the Tambaram MLA who lamented that his constituency will be underwater this December. While the steady fall in confidence (and increasing realism) down the pyramid makes for interesting reading, it just goes to show that chaos can be expected this December. The latest is that flood preparedness of the city is being overseen by Mr. Udayanidhi Stalin, Minister in the State cabinet.

There is no dearth of plans. All the correct terms are being bandied about – sponge parks, desilting of canals, clearing of construction debris, de-clogging of stormwater drains, etc. How much of this is on paper and how much actually in place is something nobody seems to know. And there is appalling cynicism on the part of the public. They merely point to the mass of contradictory activities, much of them by state agencies. The Metro Rail project has added to the chaos and there is justified suspicion that much of the flooding in the last year’s monsoon which took place just where drilling work is ongoing was because of lack of coordination between the multiple agencies that rely on subterranean conduits.

The Corporation, and allied agencies, have long lost public confidence when it comes to flood mitigation. Their lack of control over road-laying, sewer planning and infrastructure projects as well as their overlooking plan violations by vested interests is what has brought them to the present situation. It is imperative that the State takes citizenry into confidence. This can only be done by getting the Corporation Councillors, officials and engineers to hold public consultations at ward level and explain as to what went wrong last year and how these matters are being set right this year. That requires openness and a willingness to accept that things did go wrong. In the absence of that frankness very little progress can be obtained. We have no option but to hope for a weak monsoon. In which case we will have a water crisis! Flood or drought, we seem to be heading to Biblical times.

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