Chennai city was facing a severe water
shortage. Storage in all the lakes and reservoirs had gone very low with
newspapers publishing pictures of their dry parched beds every other day. The
Drought that was looming large was the nightmare no one wanted. Yet October in 2015 was the hottest in recent
times.
The blessed rains did come at last;
but even by early November, it became apparent that the city and its suburbs
are unable to cope with bountiful rains too! It was a repeat of clogged drains, waterways
and water logged roads. Water has once again entered buildings, apartments,
homes, hutments throwing life out of gear. Flooded subways have disrupted traffic.
We see the administration trying to
showcase its relief efforts and the opposition portraying the ruling
administration as the most inefficient and corrupt. We see humans and all beings
suffer with more public resources wasted year after year in relief materials,
restoration of roads etc.
No matter how brilliant an
administration tries to be, it can never successfully gain an unfair victory
over nature. There had been water bodies big and small all over the city and
its suburbs. Successive inept and
corrupt governments that lacked foresight had caused these water bodies and
canals to be closed and buildings raised in their beds.
The only way out of this quagmire, is to
study the topography, go by the old land records and identify the lakes, ponds
and waterways. Identify the owners, give
them enough compensation and restore the water bodies. The outflow from the public coffers would be
huge, but the expense incurred once, would save the recurring expenses and all
the suffering in all times to come. It would help store
water during the rains and also help us with water during summer. Keep life Simple.
