99% Vyasarpadi residents hit by flood, homes flooded to over 3 feet: Study

CHENNAI: A study conducted by civil society organisations in Chennai has warned that 99.2 per cent of residents in Vyasarpadi were affected by flooding.

The report titled, ‘Future Amidst Flooding: Community Experiences and Demands for Flood Resilience in Vyasarpadi, Chennai’, reveals systemic gaps in disaster response and universal economic suffering among low-income residents during floods.

The study was conducted by Chennai Climate Action Group (CCAG), Vyasai Thozhargal, and the Youth Climate Resilience Movement. The study combines survey data from 120 households, interviews, and hydrological analysis to document how marginalised communities were being left behind by institutional approaches to climate adaptation.

As per the report, 99.2% of residents were affected by flooding, with water levels inside homes averaging 3.4 feet. Also, 95% of households lost income with a median of seven workdays lost, while 100% faced inflated prices for essentials like milk and food during floods.

“Around 73.9% of those who suffered property damage lost vehicles critical to earning daily wages. Not a single respondent knew of any GCC emergency helpline (1913, 044-25619204), and fewer than 2% were aware of relief systems like community kitchens or designated medical officers,” the report added.

Hydrological assessment identified fly ash deposits across 3.51 sq km in Ennore Creek, equivalent to 492 football fields, blocking drainage and worsening floods. “While COP30 debates abstract green solutions and targets, our report shows what climate vulnerability looks like on the ground. Vyasarpadi’s experience proves that without community-led design and local knowledge, climate actions will fail those most at risk,” Vishvaja Sambath, environmental health researcher, CCAG, said.

For years, residents have been living through these floods. Though south Chennai has been inundated during calamities, the recovery time was much higher in Vyasarpadi. “While studying hydrological and geographical conditions, we found that many years ago, several wetlands and waterbodies in our locality were encroached by buildings and factories that now face inundation,” pointed out Dinesh, a student and a member of YCRM.

Concurring with him was Dharani, another student and member of YCRM, who added: “The analysis revealed systematic drainage failures, including the extensive flow of ash deposition in the Ennore Creek and Kosasthalaiyar River, compounded by tidal backwater effects that create a hydraulic bottleneck.”

The report demands a radical shift from centralised planning to community co-designed systems, including localised early warnings, drainage restoration, price controls during disasters, and community-managed relief. “As COP30 underscores the limits of top-down climate policy, this study offers a pathway for what truly inclusive, effective resilience looks like: rooted in local experience, led by those on the frontlines,” the report added.