Residents sceptical of temporary fixes

Madurai: While Madurai corporation has taken up permanent storm water drainage overhaul at key locations under KfW funding, residents across the city’s remaining vulnerable locations remain highly sceptical about monsoon preparedness.Residents in severely affected localities, including Sellur, Vandiyur, Ayyan Pappakudi, and Old Ramnad Road, are still dependent on short-term fixes. The civic body continues to rely on temporary interventions, such as drain desilting, mobile pumps, mini-excavators, and robotic machinery to tackle recurrent waterlogging during the rainy season.Root-cause analysis reveals that nearly half the city’s waterlogging issues stem from structural blockage, followed by low-lying plots, overflowing water bodies, insufficient drain cross-sections, non-availability of drains, and seepage from nearby PWD channels.“Repeated attempts at desilting the water channels are very temporary solutions to a long-standing issue. Every year, the issue of flooding crops up when it rains. The entire sewage system needs to be overhauled completely and modernised to account for the increased population in the city,” said VP Manikandan, a social activist living in SS Colony in Madurai.A senior corporation official said that plans are in place to revamp the entire sewage system in the city. “We are focusing on the most heavily used areas first, while the remaining parts of the city will be given attention in the next year,” the official said.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Madurai | Silver Rate in Madurai | Bank Holidays in Madurai | Public Holidays in Madurai | Madurai AQI | Weather in Madurai | Petrol Price in Madurai | Diesel Price in Madurai | CNG Price in Madurai | LPG Price in MaduraiStay updated with the latest Madurai news. Download the TOI App.