Madipakkam residents have urged the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Water Resources Department (WRD) to urgently assess a drainage confluence where the Narayanapuram Lake surplus-water channel meets the Balaji Nagar storm-water drain, citing repeated waterlogging in six residential localities ahead of the Northeast monsoon.
The residents have proposed that authorities examine the feasibility of constructing a flow-guiding wall at the confluence. The location is where surplus water from Narayanapuram Lake and storm-water runoff from the Balaji Nagar drain converge before entering a common receiving channel.
Balaji Nagar, Kubera Nagar Extension, LIC Nagar, Alayammal Nagar, Ram Nagar and Mahalakshmi Nagar have reportedly been affected by waterlogging during periods of heavy rainfall. The Madipakkam South-East Youth Welfare Association has called for a joint field inspection by the GCC and the WRD to determine whether the confluence is creating a bottleneck in the local drainage network.
According to the residents’ account, the surplus-water channel from Narayanapuram Lake is approximately 30 feet wide, while the Balaji Nagar storm-water drain is about eight feet wide. Both channels meet at the same location and discharge into a common receiving channel. The association has sought a technical assessment of the channels’ capacity, levels, gradient, flow direction and possible obstructions before any structural intervention is considered.
S.B. Sekar, president of the association, said surplus water released from the lake and runoff carried by the Balaji Nagar drain converge during intense rainfall. The association said the resulting flow conditions could affect drainage efficiency and contribute to water accumulation in nearby residential areas.
P. Rajendran, a senior committee member of the association, said the proposed flow-training wall would be intended to guide the lake’s surplus water, improve the discharge of storm-water from Balaji Nagar and regulate the flow at the confluence. However, the residents have left the wall’s location, alignment, dimensions and design to be determined by engineers after a detailed hydraulic and structural assessment.
Residents have also requested desilting and cleaning of the receiving channel and the Balaji Nagar drain, removal of garbage and weeds, and inspection of culverts and other drainage structures. They have sought an assessment of the network’s carrying capacity during peak rainfall, along with continued monitoring after heavy rain.
Sethuraman, a resident of Kubera Nagar Extension, said the association had submitted a representation seeking immediate cleaning and maintenance of the drainage network, as well as any additional engineering interventions recommended by the authorities. He said the GCC and the WRD were yet to respond to the request.
The residents have asked the authorities to take up any technically feasible flow-guiding work on priority before the Northeast monsoon. The next step sought by the association is a joint inspection followed by an engineering assessment of the drainage system and a decision on the proposed intervention.
