The Chennai rains of 2024 have starkly highlighted the inefficiencies of the Dravidian model in managing flooding and inundation in the capital city. In response, DMK spokespersons and their alliance partners are struggling to address media and public inquiries. Once again, the DMK and its leaders are deflecting criticism by questioning the actions of the previous administration, despite having been in power for three years and spending around five thousand crores on stormwater drainage and silt management in the city during 2023-24.
In a recent Tamil news media debate regarding whether the capital city will escape from the regular fate of flooding, the DMK and its ally Congress’s spokespersons had a very hard time as the host kept pressing them with the questions. The ruling DMK’s spokesperson deflected the question and resorted to angrily expressing his views while the Congress went one step ahead to buttress that it was the fault of the people to buy houses constructed on what used to be lakes.
The debate began with a panel member explaining the recent monsoon rains and data related to the capital city’s rainfall observations. It then shifted to a PMK member from the opposition, who criticized the DMK for failing to take meaningful action, accusing them of only making empty statements. The host then turned to DMK spokesperson Saravanan, who started off calmly but grew increasingly agitated as the host pressed him on what concrete steps the party had taken. In a slip of the tongue, he acknowledged that some work was still pending, leading him to respond with anger rather than addressing the question directly.
The host pointed out that the PMK panel member questioned why, if the DMK had taken appropriate steps, there was a need to visit affected areas and console the public. In response, the DMK spokesperson deflected it as if they had only recently formed the government and blamed the previous AIADMK regime, stating, “Yeah, that was a good question. To whom should all these questions have been asked means is their former ally, the AIADMK, I don’t know now they are an ally or not. To whom should all these questions be asked means their erstwhile partner, I don’t know if they are still allies or not. They should have asked the AIADMK. They were in power from 2011-2021, after 2015 this is the trend, we know that this is how rain is going to fall, unprecedented rain, and climate change. In 2015 they said they spent 6000 crore rupees, and 1000 crore rupees spent in Chennai alone EPS campaigned.”
The host intervened, pointing out that DMK spokesperson Saravanan was defending his party without logical support, stating, “Sir, you have spent 4,000 crores.“ Despite this, Saravanan continued to defend his position, claiming that out of the 1,101 km recommended by the Thiruppugazh Committee for rainwater drainage, they had completed 836 km in two years. Hearing this absurd statement, the host challenged his logic, asking, “Sir, how many areas have been inundated? I acknowledge that you’ve completed the 800 km, and I won’t question those statistics and doubt it, but why is there still water stagnating?”
In response, Saravanan attributed his party’s inefficiencies to climate factors, explaining that the capital wasn’t flooded in 2022 due to regular monsoon rains but in 2023, there was 50 cm of rain within two days, Then he stated currently out of 44 km of rainwater drainage, 30 km had been completed, with only a few still pending. He also criticized the ongoing CMRL infrastructure works for contributing to the problem.
When Saravanan argued that CMRL was also a contributing factor, the host questioned whether the inundation in Palikaranai was due to CMRL’s work. Saravanan responded that the area is low-lying, to which the host countered, “We’ve been saying this for 10 years, and even discussed it last year. Isn’t there a viable plan to address this?” A visibly angry Saravanan then asked the host if he expected the rain to disappear in a short time, emphasizing that it takes time to manage such issues.
When the DMK spokesperson blamed climate and nature for the flooding, their ally, Congress spokesperson Trichy Velusamy, took it a step further by blaming the citizens for building houses on lakebeds. Velusamy began by stating that humans are the main reason for the flooding, as they have obstructed the natural pathways for water to flow to the sea. He asked, “You’ve questioned what residents of Chennai can do when rainwater enters their homes. I’m asking you, in Chennai’s Maduravoyil, there’s a place called Erikarai bus stand if you look for a lake there, you won’t find one. There’s Lake View Avenue, but you wouldn’t even know where the lake is, there is Kullakarai Salai but has no pond, and Velachery is a lake right, you’ve constructed houses on the waterbeds...”
The host, frustrated by the Congress spokesperson’s unreasonable defense, questioned, “Who did the construction there? Did I build the house by myself? Didn’t the government grant permission? Did they not provide EB connections?” However, the Congress spokesperson continued unabatedly, saying, “There is no point in blaming the government if you don’t care about yourself.“ then he asked, “Liquor shops are everywhere in the town will you drink it? but I won’t drink because I should protect my health right like that we should make a good decision.” He asserted that the people are the government, and until they make a change, nothing will improve.
ஆயுத எழுத்து || தொடரும் கன மழை: தப்புமா சென்னை?
இன்று இரவு 8 மணிக்கு #ThanthiTV #Chennai #ChennaiRainsUpdate #ChennaiFloods #chennairain pic.twitter.com/51IHFeEwKq
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) October 15, 2024
(Thiruppugazh Committee recommended reforms to the regulatory framework, emphasizing the need for improved monitoring of climate change-induced flooding and a strengthened techno-legal regime to enhance flood management in Chennai)
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