A section of residents of Besant Nagar have reopened an old debate. They don’t want Greater Chennai Corporation to construct stormwater drains on Besant Nagar First Cross Street. Instead, they want the funds to be used for constructing rainwater harvesting wells.
Their reasoning: in areas close to the coast, constructing stormwater drains is not a solution to water stagnation. According to T. D. Babu, founder-member, Spark, a civic forum, Besant Nagar has sandy soil. “This will enable the rainwater to percolate easily.”
The locality is among areas identified by the GCC Zone 13 as stagnation-prone. Currently, the work has been put on hold. As per the plan, the stormwater drain network was supposed to extend from First Cross Street to Seventh Avenue, through First Avenue and First Main Road, Besant Nagar.
Moreover, the constructed stormwater drains in most places lack sufficient gradient for rainwater to drain into the nearest waterway or into the sea. The drains act as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. For an SWD to be effective, it needs to be de-silted and maintained periodically and the maintenance work will cause a lot of inconvenience, say residents. There are areas in the city that have faced only minor cases of inundation because they have had the advantage of recharge wells.