Chennai’s Deluge – The Man Made Disaster
The worst deluge consequent
to a record rainfall has submerged
large parts Chennai city, dividing
Chennai in to several little islands.
Communities have been stranded
by flood waters. 280 people have
died. 3 million people are deprived
of basic services. Several thousands
of people are stranded in railway
stations, flood homes, on roof tops
and streets. People are suffering
with unending owes like
displacement, traffic Jams, powercuts, abnormal rising prices, nonavailability of food or even drinking
water.
Despite various efforts by the
state and central governments in
taking relief and rescue work, the
magnitude of their tragedy remains
to be too-much, and much will be
remained to be done to rehabilitate
the people who have lost everything in the floods.
Though it is claimed that the
rains caused this devastation are
the heaviest in 100 years, this
cannot be said to have occurred
just because the ‘nature has
vented its fury’. On examination it
is revealed that the authorities
were warned days in advance of
the possibility of unusual amounts
of rain, following the developments
of a cyclonic circulation in the Bay
of Bengal. But the preparations
following this warning were
minimal. Moreover it is reported
that almost 30,000 cusecs of water
were actually released from
Chembarambakkamlake, which
may also have accounted the flood
devastation. Even as on December
3, water was lapping against the
banisters of the bridge across the
AdyorRiver, which reveals the
magnanimity of the floods.
This extreme weather event is
not an isolated occurrence, but
December 2015
such events are becoming more
and more common, and climate
scientists are viewing them as an
effect of global warming.
In fact, the capitalist neoliberal economic policies with the
one and only purpose of earning
‘super profits’ without any concern
for humanity or protection of
environment, with their powerful
thrust of ruthless exploiting of
natural resources have been
playing this lot of devastations
around the world.
Particularly
with
the
implementation of neo-liberal
economic policies, the real estate
growth
has
been
given
unprecedented priority over
planned development. Naturally
this led to ignoring natural drains
and lakes, by building over them
or turning them in to land fills;
leaving no space for the water to
drain out-Chennai has actively
blocked its network of lakes, rivers,
canals, wet lands and marshlands
that absorb rain water or divert to
the sea. Colonies, malls, universities
and I.T.offices have been built over
them. The coowm and Adayarrivers
are rarely dredged and their flood
plains have been encroached
upon. A recent study estimates that
more than half of Chennai’s
wetlands have been rendered
useless by development and that
the 150 water bodies in the city
serving as catchment areas have
been reduced to 27. Green cover
in some municipal wards have
been wiped out totally which means
that the ground cannot retain
water.
The policy of “smarter cities”
being focused by the government
is totally undermining the basic
requirements of proper water
drains systems and planning. The
highly prioritised urbanisation in the
advent of neo-liberal economic
policies gives scant regard to draw
up plans and to base on for a real
functional city.
Thus this is the man-made
devastation of Chennai viz the
callous attitude of the rulers and
ruling governments.
Now
even
after
this
devastation it seems that the rulers
of the Tamil Nadu state are
refusing to learn lessons and ready
to take corrective steps. Instead
they are engaged in blame games.
The AIDMK-ruled Chennai
Corporation claimed that shoddy
drain work by the previous DMK
regime to be largely responsible
for this mess in the city. Interestingly
the ban on manual scavenging was
cited and projected as a main
reasons for the drains not being
desilted well in time.
This ‘blame game’ tactics
once again confirm the fact that
our rulers (to whichever party may
they belong) are interested only in
their power and votes and but not
at all sincere and interested in
bringing about wellbeing of people
through their policies. Whatever
they do is purely with the aim of
catching votes to governmental
power.
Now it is the common man and
the toiling people that has to suffer
the effect of this devastation,
whatever might be the huge funds
that are supposed to be spent on
relief and rehabilitation. Such is the
fate of the tailing masses in to
which they are plunged by our
ruling-classes and rulers, reducing
them in to beggars eagerly awaiting
for any aid! This is the bitter reality
to have to be experienced after of
Chennai deluge by the common
man and toiling masses!
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