Tampering With Nature: Faulty Town Planning Caused Chennai Floods

Parliamentary Committee files report on Chennai Floods, puts forth suggestions to cope with such disasters.

An NDRF official (right) arrives to rescue a boy who fell while wading through flood waters in Chennai. (Photo: The Quint)

Last year in December, torrential rains had led to massive flooding and severe damage to life and property in Chennai. The Parliamentary Standing Committee examining this has held encroachment of lakes and river beds and faulty town planning as the key reasons for the catastrophe.

The committee observed, “the drainage system got choked in Chennai and the city was flooded badly in the aftermath of the torrential rain” in its report submitted to the Rajya Sabha on 12 August.

The committee is headed by P Bhattacharya.

In this recommendations, the committee has asked the government to check real estate mafia in illegal construction and usurping water bodies along with regular maintainence of the drainage system.

It has also asked the state government to put pre-disaster preparedness mechanisms in place.

The Committee’s recommendations and findings are in sharp contrast to the Tamil Nadu government’s claims that held heavy rains responsible for the damage.

The December floods drastically rendered 17 lakh people homeless.