Heavy rain in suburbs of Chennai floods roads, chokes traffic for hours
The downpour, accompanied by thunder and lightning, began in the evening and lashed areas including Tambaram, Chromepet, Pallavaram, and their surrounding neighbourhoods
Heavy rain in suburbs of Chennai
CHENNAI: A sudden, intense spell of rain on Tuesday evening brought life to a grinding halt in several suburban areas of Chennai, causing severe waterlogging and massive traffic snarls, and leaving a trail of anxiety among residents about the impending full-fledged monsoon.
The downpour, accompanied by thunder and lightning, began in the evening and lashed areas including Tambaram, Chromepet, Pallavaram, and their surrounding neighbourhoods.
Key arterial roads like GST Road, Mudichur Road and Velachery Road were inundated, severely disrupting vehicular movement. The situation was exacerbated by the poor condition of the roads, riddled with potholes and uneven surfaces. To avoid accidents, motorists were forced to halt or navigate at a crawl, leading to massive gridlocks.
Compounding this was the slow pace of the flyover expansion work at the Perungalathur GST Road signal, which created a bottleneck of vehicles lined up for nearly 3km, from Irumbuliyur flyover to Vandalur. The cascading effect was felt across Perungalathur, Irumbuliyur, Tambaram, Chromepet, Pallavaram, Selaiyur, Camp Road, and Old Tambaram, causing immense hardship to commuters and the general public.
Office and factory workers returning home were caught in the chaos, with many stranded on the roads until midnight. The ordeal was particularly severe for women commuters.
A critical situation unfolded in front of Selaiyur police station on the Tambaram-Velachery Road, where water stagnated to a depth of nearly three feet, resembling a pond. This not only inconvenienced the public but also cops and those visiting the station. Locals attribute this chronic waterlogging to the absence of a proper storm water drain network in the area.
A similar situation four months ago had prompted officials from the Highways department and the Tambaram Municipality to initiate repair works, claiming they were finding a permanent solution. While the situation improved temporarily, Tuesday night’s rain proved that the underlying issues remain unresolved.
With the northeast monsoon yet to arrive in full force, the scale of Tuesday’s disruption has sparked serious concern. Residents and daily commuters are anxious, questioning how the civic infrastructure in these suburban hubs will cope when the monsoon gains its full strength in the coming days.
