Chennai Floods ~ Marooned at Hyderabad

I live in Adyar and had gone to Delhi on a business trip on Monday 30/11. I finished my work and was schedule to return to Chennai on Tuesday night.

I couldn't as the airport has been shut off and I am now in Hyderabad, waiting. Though my day to day living is not affected I am anxious and wanting to get back home and see that what I am being told is correct.

There are many issues which crop up at this point of time.

The so called cellular network which is a technological break through has again let us down at this crucial juncture. I am unable to communicate with any one from here and when I went to the Vodafone show room they say that they are having this problem for the last two days. They don't even have the courtesy to message its customers of the issues. Absolutely money minded and not service oriented. If they cannot envisage such situations why are they expanding globally? Could they have got away with such breakdowns in UK or else where in the developed world where they operate? Another VW, I guess. Promises much.

Our own Airtel is again nothing to write home about. Same issues.

So the system design for such critical facilities should have plans for 72 hours back up and there should be a team placed to restore broken down elements to the extent possible; not the current model of out sourced to keep the cost down. It should be by their own employees who can be held accountable.

Another case is that of the drainage. Including me, we always joke that there are no civil engineers or Road engineers in Chennai. Every civil work is done approximately based on eye sight calculations and no clear workings. This is so because there is no defined foot path and no drainage in our roads. The excess drain water has to go through sewage system and that creates a huge problem for the sewage as it gets choked. Successive administrations are aware and sitting on this problem and will continue to do so.

After this deluge, the city has to own up and raise itself literally from below sea level to reasonable height to manage. Else the nest time we will become the second dwaraka or dhanuskodi; submerged with out a trace above water level.

As I see it we need to create artificial lakes to drain out the excess water from all areas and ensure that they can be pumped out. This way nor mal rains cane be managed. For excess discharge the existing river bans have to be strengthened / raised to carry the maximum discharge possible from the sluices with out inundating the city.

Let us work to achieve this.