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Chennai Flood Was Not a Natural Disaster

A report suggests the Chennai floods were caused due to bureaucratic lethargy.

Updated
India
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Had the concerned authorities regulated the water levels of the Chembarambakkam reservoir (lake) in the outskirts of Chennai, the tragic disaster that crippled the city and its surrounding areas could have been averted, according to a report in The Times of India.

International weather agencies had reportedly predicted heavy rainfall for Chennai on December 1 and 2. Following this, officials in the Public Works Department (PWD) had asked the PWD secretary and other senior bureaucrats on November 26 to bring down the water level by around four feet, from 22 ft to below 18 ft, so that the imminent inflow could be contained.

There was not much rain between November 26 and 29 and Adyar river, too, which originates from Chembarambakkam, had very little water. But by December 2 and 3, Adyar was carrying more than one lakh cusecs of water, much beyond its capacity.

Meanwhile, orders to open the Chembarambakkam flood-gates awaited a bureaucratic nod.

The city has paid the price for having a bunch of bureaucrats who don’t have the guts to act on their own. We were lucky that the reservoir, despite overflowing, did not breach.
Senior IAS official involved in rescue operations, to TOI

Surprisingly, no advisory was issued to the locals of Chennai, adding to the magnitude of the disaster.

Flooding of Chennai and suburbs could have been averted by better management of water release.
S Janakarajan, Professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies. 

Moreover, police officers in the city were asked to communicate through wireless sets and keep their mobile phones switched off. This prevented people from reaching out to the police for help.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

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Topics:  NDRF   Chennai   Chennai Floods 

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