CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) claims that 95% of pre-monsoon works in the Mambalam Canal have been completed. However, local shopkeepers, traders and residents have expressed strong scepticism about the quality of work to prevent flooding.
The GCC stated on its social media platform that restoration was nearly complete, with 4,200 metres of the 5,800-metre canal restored. The canal runs through Teynampet and Adyar zones.
Residents, however, remain unconvinced. Jayaraman of the T Nagar Residents Welfare Association, said: “Work has continued for months, but we’re unsure if it will mitigate floods. The truth will only be revealed when it pours.”
He highlighted persistent problems since 2015, citing inadequate canal restoration and lack of support, leading to severe flooding in T Nagar every year. “There was knee-deep water inside homes over the years,” he pointed out.
A resident in Pinjala Subramaniam Street identified her area as “heavily affected” each monsoon. “The GCC does not properly clear the silt and soil from storm water drains. And, since private players handle the job, they lack proper care. We bear the brunt annually,” she lamented.
When contacted, a GCC official told DT Next that current efforts focused on building retaining walls where the land, previously encroached upon by individuals and temples, has been reclaimed. “Separately, robotic excavators are removing silt and waste from the canal. All ongoing projects will be finished before the monsoon,” he stated.
The GCC’s restoration work and its subsequent scepticism by locals follows several complaints filed by residents who have suffered inundation for years during the monsoon seasons due to incomplete works. Reflecting this urgency, the GCC allocated Rs 6.5 crore earlier this year specifically for the Mambalam Canal restoration.
Despite this investment and the Corporation’s assurances of near-completion, residents are not persuaded, thanks to years of officials’ apathy to their plight when it rains.