Rain

reign
Shrinking lake area and
blocked
Drains have reduced
Chennais capacity to drain
rainfall runof

Shreeshan Venkatesh
Sushmita Sengupta

gh Intensity Rainfall in November 11 and 18 , the capital of Tamil Nadu

449.9 mm
329 %
against
104.9 mm
100%
wnpour exposed State's inability to handle heavy rains.
inwater Management pioneer cities Chennai marks as one of it.

er severe draught of 1999-2000 government made RWH mandatory

der the scheme Groundwater recharge was to be done to recharge acquifers

ising the underground water table and eforts of making healthy groundwater
echarge was doneto maintain good condition of the water bodies

e cooum and adyar which are natural streams passing through the chennai has
atchment which collects 75% of water from chennai metropolitian area

e are 450 tanks in its catchment of these natural drains

e is a system of natural canals and drains that directly connect the city with wetla
bodies and rivers which works in an integrated manner.

arge of 129 million cubic meters of rain and recharge through diferent methods

ographically Chennai is very flat and needs very good drainage

od drainage and of artificial and natural drainage is the only way to protect it.

thority

ntre For Environmental

Water Resources Engineering

sterPlan Of Chennai

Year
1980
2008

Number of wate
600
200

ording to States Water Department

Area of 19 Major Lakes,
Year
1980
2000

Area
1130 ha
645 ha

onal Institute Of Disaster Management , New Delhi

30,000 slums

on banks of waterbodies in this areas

drains that carry surplus water from tanks to other wetlands are also encroache

umental waste

oss of waterbodies, drainage systems and green areas show that the city has ne
n serious thought on flood management

has spent a lot on for cleaning rivers

Schemes

ernment funded scheme

1998

nai City River Conservation Project

2000

RM

Nadu

300 crore
1700 crore

2009

633 crore

2014
Total

394 crore
3027 crore

mptroller and Auditor General of India assesed that the state has not done enou
ect Chennai from floods and flood control were flawed.

Citizens Eforts

ction of encroachment Act, 2007 after a case from concerned citizens ordered
emove encroachments from Pallikarni lake to save wetlands but still waiting for i
lementation.

ad of department of Anna University said the marking of flood prone area is alrea
done but work by corporaton has not started.

der a Nodal agency that can plan, monitor and coordinate between diferent
horities .

isting laws our not helping to protect urban ecology and urban lakes.

Bibliography:Down To Earth

Thank You.