Downpour batters city roads

Downpour batters city roads
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
25/8/2010 chennai page no.2
Chennai: The northeast monsoon is still months away but the heavy spells during last week have already left several interior and arterial roads in the city battered. Compounding the problems for motorists is the digging up of many stretches for laying of utility lines.
Ramakrishna Mutt Road, Royapettah High Road, Sterling Road, Anna Main Road in K K Nagar and Binny Road off Anna Salai are some of the worst-affected where rains have caused huge potholes. Attempts are being made to fill the potholes with debris but they are not enough to ensure a smooth ride. Improper consolidation of dug-up roads is causing concern, as the corporation has granted permission to several agencies for laying cables.
A classic example of a badly battered stretch is Anna Main Road off KK Nagar. The arterial road is the vital link for many coming from Jafferkhanpet, MGR Nagar, Nesapakkam and Ramapuram to move onto interior areas. According to V Gopalakrishnan, a resident of Pammal Nallathambi Street, MGR Nagar, the civic body has not made any efforts to restore the road for years, despite appeals. “The rains have added to the chaos,” he said. Metrowater dug up the road for laying pipelines under the Chennai City River Conservation Project a decade ago but the stretch has given way since then due to poor soil conditions.
The unseasonal rains, according to corporation office, are only going to delay road-relaying works. As per the original schedule, at least 60 bus route roads, for which tenders have been finalised, should have been relaid on or before September 19. Now with the continuous downpour, even roads that need repair, such as Tiruvottriyur High Road, Cemetery Road, De Mellows Road, Dr Ambedkar College Road, Purasawalkam High Road, Velachery Main Road, R K Mutt Road, Luz Church Road and Ramapuram Main Road, will have to wait.
Several stretches in the southern suburbs have also become unmotorable. Part of GST Road in Pallavaram, Pammal and Tambaram has been worn out. Rains have also left Station Border Road in Chromepet, Ram Nagar in Madipakkam, Velachery Main Road and Camp Road near East Tambaram with huge potholes.
The 9km-long Medavakkam Main Road, a state highway, has lost most of its bitumen and a large number of potholes now dot the stretch. The state highways department, the nodal agency that maintains the stretch, had only recently relaid it. “Every day, at least four accidents occur along the stretch. The rains only add to the misery to the residents,” said Mohammed Ismail, a trader in Keelkattalai. More rains likely for next 2 days
Chennai: Cloudy, wet weather is on the cards over the next few days in Tamil Nadu, with the southwest monsoon being quite active over neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Additionally, the formation of a low pressure area over west-central and southwest Bay of Bengal promises plenty of rainfall over the next two days.
“Although there has been a slight reduction in rains compared to last week, the trough extending over the peninsula promises plenty of scattered rainfall, specially over north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry,” said Regional Meteorological Centre deputy director general YEA Raj.
Between Tuesday and Wednesday, close to 8cm of rainfall was recorded in the city, fetching Chennai more than half its monthly normal of approximately 14cm. Last Wednesday also saw day temperature falling by four degrees Celsius from the monthly normal of 34 degrees. “ A similar fall in day temperature is expected on Wednesday and Thursday as well, and likely to be in the region of 31 degrees,” said Met officials.
On Tuesday, the city experienced heavy rains in Guindy and other areas close to the airport (6 mm of rainfall), although in Nungambakkam and other areas there was very little rain, accounting for just 1mm.

AFTERMATH OF RAINS: Most of the roads have lost their bitumen and are ridden with potholes after the recent rains