TIMES CITY THE TIMES OF INDIA, CHENNAI | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015 HC ASKS GOVT TO CONSIDER PLEA SEEKING CCTV DOCS SAY REDUCE DAILY SUGAR CONSUMPTION CAMERA INSTALLATION IN GOVT OFFICES | 4 TO LESS THAN 10% OF ENERGY INTAKE | 5 Act As Rainwater Harvesting Systems, Recharging Groundwater Levels And Absorbing Floodwaters In The Area A Prathap As rain floods city, temple tanks keep Mylapore dry L R Shankar B Sivakumar & Priya M Menon | TNN ter in the tank has increased by BRIMFUL: The Kapaleeswarar temple tank which has filled up following heavy showers in the city 8 ft,” he says. his year, Chennai re- The tank has ensured there is ceived the maximum no flooding over an area of at STOREHOUSE: The tank of the Karaneeswarar Temple in Saidapet rainfall in a decade. least 2km around the temple. TBut even as several “There is no flooding in the area parts of the city were despite the heavy rain we have flooded, Mylapore remained fairly had this year,” says Srikanth. Pre-monsoon cleaning unaffected. And one doesn’t have People who live in the area are to look far to find the reason. The also happy to see the tank full. brimming waters of the Ka- “We are seeing it full after more paleeswarar temple tank bespeak than five years. Since the ground- helped fill up tanks of a time when temple tanks acted water level is recharged, it means as rainwater harvesting systems. our wells and borewells will have TIMES NEWS NETWORK using the bins throw the “A lot of the water goes under- water throughout the year,” says garbage on the road and it ground, depending on the S Venkata Subramanian, who ater may be a prob- blocks the inlets to the tank. groundwater level in the area and lives on Adam Street, which runs lem for residents Apart from the bins there are the remaining water gets into the directly opposite the tank. Win Chennai, but people who are occupying the tank,” says Nanditha Krishna, However, the other temple many temple areas thereby blocking the president, C P Ramaswami Aiyar tank in Mylapore, the Chitraku- tanks around the city and sub- inlets,” said the official. Foundation. lam, which is just a few feet from urbs have filled up bringing As excess water made Temple tanks not only help the Kapaleeswarar tank, is not cheer to those living in their its way into the tanks, streets recharge the groundwater but even half full as it has not been vicinity. Of the 12 large temple around remained free of also absorb the floodwaters. “Ear- desilted. tanks in and around the city, waterlogging. lier, houses near the temple tanks “The water level in Chitraku- eight are filled to the brim. The More water in the tanks EARLIER, ALL YERIS BENEFITS lam, which is maintained by the remaining are half-full as the means a recharged groundwa- WERE INTERCONNECTED Aadi Kesava Perumal Temple, is inlets have been blocked. ter over an area of 1 km around Six inlets carry excess rainwater in Mylapore to the Kapaleeswarar Temple Tank thus not very high when you compare the tank. In many of these BY CHANNELS AND THE OF HAVING preventing waterlogging within a radius of 2km from the temple it to the Kapali tank,” says a res- tanks, the temple administra- OVERFLOW FROM ONE WOULD A TEMPLE ident. “If the local authorities WATER DID NOT FLOW AS tion had undertaken rainwater GO TO THE OTHER. NOW Kapaleeswarar take necessary steps, water can EXPECTED INTO SEVERAL harvesting to store more water TANK North Mada Street Temple be stored in this tank too.” TEMPLE TANKS and made arrangements to NEITHER THE YERIS NOR Nanditha feels that if temple WITH ensure water from the streets THE CHANNELS EXIST tanks are well maintained, they GARBAGE BLOCKING THE flowed into them. The results NANDITHA KRISHNA | PRESIDENT, would help prevent flooding in INFLOW CHANNELS are there to see. C P RAMASWAMI AIYAR FOUNDATION the city even during heavy rain. “The Venkatesa Perumal Helps Inlets “There are about 50 temple tanks temple tank in Nungambak- were also constructed with slop- recharge in the city but only a few are in “Before this monsoon, we kam, Karaneeswarar temple ing roofs so that the rainwater groundwater good condition,” she says. “If cleaned the area near temple tank in Saidapet and Thyagara- would flow into the tank,” they were well maintained, we tanks so that rainwater from the jaswamy Temple in Thiruvot- Mylapore, Kapaleeswarar Nanditha says. would not have such a problem nearby areas flowed into the tiyur are 100% to the capacity,” Temple Tank A temple tank in the locality K Mutt road during rains.” tanks. We were successful in said the official. R also has other benefits. Keeps the Earlier, all the yeris (artificial some areas like Mylapore, Sai- Subsequently, residents who “Right through summer, the wa- Since temple tanks locality cool. water bodies) in the city were dapet and Thiruvanmiyur,” have to make do with brackish ter body makes the whole place have inlets, during Has a interconnected by channels and said a senior Hindu Religious water or pay private tankers refreshing and pleasantly cool,” heavy rains, it helps calming the overflow from one would go and Charitable Endowments during the summer are hoping absorb floodwater effect says Nanditha. South Mada Street to the other, says Nanditha. “For (HR&CE) official. their wells will have sufficient Today, Chennai has about 50 instance, we had a Mambalam However, the water did not water throughout the year. temple tanks but not all of them yeri and a Mylapore yeri and flow as expected into several “The residents around the are well maintained. Mylapore there was a channel connecting temple tanks with garbage Thyagarajaswamy temple are has two tanks -- the Kapaleeswa- both. Now neither the yeris nor blocking the inflow channels. very happy as the water level in rar temple tank and the Chitra- the channels exist,” she says. “In Vadapalani, for example, their wells has gone up. There kulam. Till 2004, the Kapaleeswa- desilted and the inflow channels tank. “Water collected on R K tank through which water flows “Since all the channels that criss- the tank is only 45% of its ca- is no waterlogging around the rar tank was dry and children were cleared. Mutt Road gets into the inlet near into it,” says R Srikanth, who crossed the city are gone, the pacity. The inlets around the streets of the tank,” said used to play cricket on the bed. Now there are at least six in- a hotel on South Mada Street. maintains a garden around the roads become the pathway for the tank are blocked as there are Kritika Vivek, a resident of However, the same year, it was lets that direct water into the There are other inlets around the tank. “Since the rain began, wa- movement of water.” garbage bins. People instead of Thiruvottiyur. Estimated water level in various temple tanks in Chennai Venkatesa Perumal Temple, Angala Parameshwari Kapaleeswarar Parthasarathy Vadapalani Andavar ALMOST FULL as on November 21 Nungambakkam Temple, Vyasarpadi Temple, Mylapore Temple, Triplicane Temple, Vadapalani Source: HR&CE Department 100% 95% 80% 50% 45% RESILIENCE AFTER THE DELUGE Many miss flights after Monday Rain this northeast monsoon has been abundant, but thousands of residents in Chennai have been struggling with flooded houses and streets rain with no cabs, jammed roads Pics: R Ramesh Shankar, L R Shankar and B A Raju TIMES NEWS NETWORK cancellations. People who Though rain stopped landed at the airport, too, had a Chennai: The 10cm of rain on late at night, travellers tough time getting cabs to re- Monday did not affect flight ach their destination in the schedules, but it did hit passen- who were to board city,” he said. gers. Many missed their flights early morning flights Though rain stopped late at at night as they were stuck for had a tough time night, travellers who were to hours in traffic snarls, while a reaching the airport board early morning flights few who had to catch morning had a tough time reaching the flights suffered because cabs because cabs were not airport because cabs were not were not available through the available. App-based available. App-based cab ser- night. services virtually shut vices shut down overnight as Road traffic came to a stand- drivers refused to accept trips. still for hours near Little down overnight Autos came to the rescue of a Mount, Guindy and also on 100 few early morning travellers. Feet Road. Waterlogging near most of the flights had at least time from T Nagar. It took three Shruti Somakumar, who metro rail worksites slowed one or two no-show passengers hours for him to reach the air- travelled to Dubai by an early down traffic in Meenambak- because of the chaos. Pawan port. Similarly, three passen- morning Emirates flight on kam. GST Road was damaged Kumar of Peekay Holidays gers headed to Singapore by Ti- Tuesday, booked an auto and flooded near Meenambak- said three of his clients missed ger Airways also missed their through an app to reach the air- kam railway station. The their flights. “One traveller flight,” Kumar said. port. “I had to check in by width of the carriageway there who had booked a ticket to Ha- An airline official said 6.45am. No cab was available; TWEETS has been reduced because of noi on a Malaysian Airlines many people called to resche- an auto driver registered with the work-site barricades. flight missed it because he dule their flights because of the a cab aggregator came to my An airport official said could not reach the airport on heavy rain.