Moderate rain floods Madurai, exposes drainage failures

Madurai: Madurai district experienced moderate rainfall from Tuesday night into early Wednesday, recording 2-3 cm of rain over two hours. The downpour caused widespread flooding in residential areas, with an accumulated rainfall of nearly 10 cm leaving parts of the city waterlogged.Officer Town, Kanagavel Avenue, Kattabomman Nagar, and Meenambalpuram in Sellur were among the worst-hit areas, with knee-deep water submerging streets. Residents struggled to leave their homes, and vehicles frequently stalled in the floodwaters. Children were seen wading through the murky water to reach school, while commuters faced significant disruptions.The Panthalkudi channel, a 6.5 km stretch through Sellur, overflowed, exacerbating the flooding as breaches in the channel flooded nearby localities. As floodwaters gushed into residential areas, the Madurai Corporation responded by deploying sandbags to seal the breaches and began dredging parts of the channel to ease the flow of water from the Sellur tank, which overflowed.Despite these measures, the flooding underscored the inadequacies of the city's drainage infrastructure, especially in low-lying areas like Sellur. Streets such as Vanchinathan Street, Periyar Veethi, and Kamarajar Street were submerged, trapping residents indoors. The floodwaters, contaminated with sewage and garbage, posed a serious health hazard, as foul odors spread through the area.Muthulakshmi, a resident of Kattabomman Nagar, expressed frustration: "Officials inspected the channel just last week, but we're still facing this. It shows they aren't prepared for even moderate rains."M Abubakker, convener of the Neer Nilaigal Pathukappu Iyakkam (Waterbodies Protection Movement), criticized the city's drainage management. He pointed out that while beautification projects were carried out at the Sellur tank, inadequate desilting left it prone to overflow. Encroachments along the Panthalkudi channel, the main drainage outlet for the tank, have further weakened its capacity to manage rainwater, causing repeated flooding in adjacent areas. He also noted that residential areas developed on the tank's former catchment area worsened the issue.Another resident, S Thalapathi from Officer Town, lamented the frequency of flooding: "Every year, it's the same story. There's no proper drainage, and the water stays for days. The authorities inspect, but nothing changes."Following the rains, Madurai Corporation commissioner S Dinesh Kumar visited flood-hit areas, including Officers Town Main Road and Kulamangalam Main Road. He ordered immediate action to clear clogged drains and fix blockages in the stormwater drainage system to prevent further flooding.50-year-old man drowns in Panthalkudi ChannelA 50-year-old man, Pandiya Rajan, drowned on Wednesday after falling into the flooded Panthalkudi Channel in Sellur. The daily wage labourer from Goripalayam was crossing a low-level bridge when he slipped into the fast-moving waters.Friends attempted to rescue him but could not locate him in the murky waters. Rescue efforts, led by the Tallakulam fire and rescue station, were delayed, prompting residents to stage a road blockade on Panthalkudi Road, demanding faster action.Madurai Corporation commissioner S Dinesh Kumar arrived at the scene and directed the use of machinery to clear debris from the canal. After two hours, the fire rescue team recovered Rajan's body. He is survived by his wife, Sivakami, and two children. His body was sent for a post-mortem at Madurai Government Hospital.
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