Cyclone Fengal leaves many stretches in central Chennai inundated

Residents braving the rain and winds on Mahatma Gandhi Road in Nungambakkam on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: M. VEDHAN

The rain due to Cyclone Fengal left areas in central Chennai, including Korattur, Koyambedu, Virugambakkam, Nungambakkam, T. Nagar and Alwarpet, inundated on Saturday.

The arterial 100 Feet Road witnessed heavy inundation on Saturday, including on the Ekkatuthangal, Vadapalani, Ashok Nagar, and Arumbakkam stretches. Vehicles struggled to navigate the waterlogged stretches, and the movement of traffic was slow between Arumbakkam and Ashok Nagar around 11 a.m.

While most areas in Anna Nagar did not report much waterlogging, roads such as Anna Nagar 2^nd Avenue in Thirumangalam and School Road in Anna Nagar West Extension, faced heavy inundation. In Korattur, 26^th Street and 2^nd Street at TNHB Colony and East Avenue were severely waterlogged.

Manonmani of Korattur said: “Only in the last 15 years, have we been seeing such severe inundation in and around this area. It is disappointing to see roads getting heavily waterlogged after just a few days of rain. It’s become very difficult for commuters and daily wage workers to wade through this water and head to work.”

In Arumbakkam and Choolaimedu, many roads were flooded. Residents on stretches such as MMDA Colony Main Road, Tamilar Street, Ethiraj Street, and Dayalamal Street in Choolaimedu were put to hardship owing to inundation.

V. Jeyanthi of MMDA Colony said she dreaded the monsoon due to fear of water entering her home. “Our house was entirely flooded last monsoon, and we lost several household items. This time, my husband and I, who are senior citizens, packed our things, placed sandbags outside the house, and went to a relative’s to stay safe,” she added.

Akin to the Velachery flyover, several residents parked their cars on the flyover on G.N. Chetty Road. While Giri Road, Rajamannar Street, and G.N. Chetty Road reported knee-deep waterlogging, the situation was much worse on Brindavan Street Extension, Brindavan Street, and Lakshminarayanan Street in West Mambalam.

Surya of Brindavan Street Extension said: “After 2015, flooding has become more common in our areas. Water has already entered the ground floor of my apartment. It’s a pity we have to struggle with this every year.”

Many stretches in Kodambakkam, Ashok Nagar and Nungambakkam, including Duraisamy Road, Ashok Nagar 2nd Avenue, and Valluvar Kottam High Road, faced severe waterlogging. Many parts of Valarsarawakkam and Alwarthirunagar, however, did not face inundation. Most of Teynampet steered cleared of flooding. Appadurai Street and Seethammal Colony in Alwarpet had knee-deep water, and it entered into several houses.