The Veerangal Odai was built to channel rainwater into the Pallikaranai marshland and to prevent flooding of residential areas on the tail-end areas near the marshland.
The canal constructed by the Water Resources Department (WRD) on both sides of the southern arm of the Inner Ring Road Extension helped convey the overflowing rainwater from various areas across the GST Road to the marshland.
However, areas downstream, close to the marshland, fear damage caused to the concrete wall of the Veerangal Odai in several places along the Ullagaram stretch was posing a danger of flooding.
The Veerangal Odai had come as a blessing for several residential areas including Ullagaram-Puzhithivakkam, West Velachery, Adambakkam and Nanganallur, to escape flooding.
The concrete canal networked with storm water drains had helped in uniformly carrying the rainwater to the marshland. But the residents of Ullagaram find the damage caused to the concrete wall of the Odai for draining out the rainwater from the vacant lands of the locality was only bound to result in ‘backflow’.
K. Swamiraj, a resident of Srinivasa Nagar in Ullagaram, showed the huge gaps in the concrete walls of the Veerangal Odai. He complained that despite taking the issue with the officials of the WRD, no steps had been taken to close the gaps.
The residents of Ullagaram point out that though the localities that were once in Ullagaram-Puzhithivakkam municipality merged with the Chennai Corporation, they were prone to floods even during normal rain.
While the residents of Ullagaram are complaining about the lack of storm water drain, the residents of West Velachery fear their areas could be flooded because of poor maintenance and encroachments along the Veerangal Odai.
Geetha Ganesh, a social activist, said blocking of the stormwater drain network linked to the Veernagal Odai by building contractors near Kalki Nagar and Saraswathy Nagar posed a threat of flooding.
With some high-rise apartments coming up along the Veerangal Odai of West Velachery the contractors may have either damaged the storm water drains or blocked rain water, the residents allege and want the WRD to take steps to remove encroachments and blocks to the stormwater drain.
The canal constructed by the Water Resources Department (WRD) on both sides of the southern arm of the Inner Ring Road Extension helped convey the overflowing rainwater from various areas across the GST Road to the marshland.
However, areas downstream, close to the marshland, fear damage caused to the concrete wall of the Veerangal Odai in several places along the Ullagaram stretch was posing a danger of flooding.
The Veerangal Odai had come as a blessing for several residential areas including Ullagaram-Puzhithivakkam, West Velachery, Adambakkam and Nanganallur, to escape flooding.
The concrete canal networked with storm water drains had helped in uniformly carrying the rainwater to the marshland. But the residents of Ullagaram find the damage caused to the concrete wall of the Odai for draining out the rainwater from the vacant lands of the locality was only bound to result in ‘backflow’.
K. Swamiraj, a resident of Srinivasa Nagar in Ullagaram, showed the huge gaps in the concrete walls of the Veerangal Odai. He complained that despite taking the issue with the officials of the WRD, no steps had been taken to close the gaps.
The residents of Ullagaram point out that though the localities that were once in Ullagaram-Puzhithivakkam municipality merged with the Chennai Corporation, they were prone to floods even during normal rain.
While the residents of Ullagaram are complaining about the lack of storm water drain, the residents of West Velachery fear their areas could be flooded because of poor maintenance and encroachments along the Veerangal Odai.
Geetha Ganesh, a social activist, said blocking of the stormwater drain network linked to the Veernagal Odai by building contractors near Kalki Nagar and Saraswathy Nagar posed a threat of flooding.
With some high-rise apartments coming up along the Veerangal Odai of West Velachery the contractors may have either damaged the storm water drains or blocked rain water, the residents allege and want the WRD to take steps to remove encroachments and blocks to the stormwater drain.