Chennai's geography, flawed urban design & adverse climate have made flooding a routine issue, despite construction of kilometres of stormwater drains & concerted efforts by govt.
GCC analysis in aftermath of 2015 deluge identified clogging and inadeqaute capacity of drains, besides encroachment of river basins as factors that led to waterlogging in Chennai.
Ennore creek is part of Ennore-Pulicat wetland system, which acts as an ecological unit that protects biodiversity and recharges groundwater. It's battling an oil spill since Cyclone Michaung struck.
Cyclone Michaung and unprecedented rainfall have caused floods in several parts of the state. As the state demands more funds, Centre says money is not being used appropriately.
According to one expert, Ennore Pulicat creek in north & Pallikaranai marshland in south are blessing for Chennai but rampant encroachment has continued largely unchecked there.
As of Wednesday, the super cyclone had claimed at least 17 lives, besides displacing thousands in Chennai alone. The devastation brought with it flashbacks of the 2015 floods.
At least 13 people, most of them in the manufacturing hub of Tamil Nadu, have died in the flooding that was triggered by the torrential rains that preceded the cyclone.
Electoral competition now appears dominated by welfare delivery and governance metrics, but ideology has not disappeared in Tamil Nadu. Instead, it has become strategic.
India’s fast-growing data centre sector may strain state electricity networks; Central Electricity Authority has urged Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu to boost capacity.
Theaterisation, which aims to divide the forces into three theatres with specific areas of responsibility, will become the single most far-reaching reform that the Indian military has witnessed since independence.
China patiently invested capital, skill and technology in coal gasification. Unlike it, we won’t move from words to action. As crude prices decline, we lose interest.
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