Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Kaveri Vellam

After a long long time, cauvery is in spate, and Trichy is flooded. The last time it happened was in Nov.1977.

There was a time when trichy was flooded in 1994, but it was largely due to rain water and not cauvery. Same was the case in 1999 November, when lakes around trichy had breached and the city was flooded.

But this time, Not only trichy is flooded but so is Kaveri.After a thought, it dawns, that, water has not entered the city, but the city has entered into the river.

Yes, in the 1930s, my maternal grandfather used to bathe in cauvery north bank which is 2 kilometers further north of what it is today.

After the building of KRS and Stanley, the river was made to a trickle. All those lands that were amphibious, that is they are considered as river, during monsoon, and as land during summer, became residential colonies.

All the inundated parts of the city, mainly thillainagar, vayalur road, new nagars around srirangam are specifically classified as such reclaimed areas.

This is not a problem with Trichy alone, it is prevelant in all cities, Chennai, Bangalore, etc etc.. When the cities grow, and the demand for residential colonies are on the rise, the low-lying aspect of the locality is hardly considered for decison making. Not jus low-lying, but also, lying in the way of waterflow is equally bad.

For the sake of clearing up of these encroachments, public support has to be accorded to the municipal authorities. If it is not being provided, then the only way is to ask for the floods to come year after year, to let people know which is what.


9 Comments:

At Thu Oct 27, 02:49:00 AM CDT, Blogger Chakra said...

I am thinking of suing you. I was about to put a post on this today but you mundhified.. :)

 
At Thu Oct 27, 07:52:00 AM CDT, Blogger ada-paavi!!!! said...

exactly, in chennai, T nagar (lake area to be precise) was built on a eri, and so was velachery. in mylapore building are built right in the waters path, all the kolams are interconnceted. this means that during heavy rains like today, the entire area is flooded

 
At Thu Oct 27, 08:38:00 AM CDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

After a long long time some water has entered into cauvery finally
uuffff!!!!! ;)

 
At Thu Oct 27, 12:26:00 PM CDT, Blogger krishna said...

my mom used to tell that in 1977 (the year my younger sister was born) that the people in the lower floor aparments had to shift to the second floor.

I guess its a similar kind of situation now.

 
At Thu Oct 27, 06:54:00 PM CDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are right, TJ!

About 1977 rain, my mom was carrying me at that time and we were in Mangamma Nagar (srirangam). She used to say lotsa stories of that flood...The benches in ERHighSchool were floating somewhere in chinthamani, it seems....In St.Joseph's college, they still have the highest level the water reached mark too!...

 
At Thu Oct 27, 10:49:00 PM CDT, Blogger Ram C said...

yesterday, I saw the footage in Sun TV. Lots of newly developed colonies have been shown submerged to a level of 1 metre.. Authorities should have taken care, while approving projects in those low areas.. Thank god.. Karunanithi didn't issue any statement on this in SUN TV news..

 
At Fri Oct 28, 02:56:00 AM CDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear TJ,
rain and floods always make me think of those who are literally on the streets... How on earth are we going to bring about a state of affairs in the world where all people are safe and capable of earning a living..
sigh..
depsite this
my concern over SRIRANGAM getting flooded was not small - I was restless and sullen for quite sometime and regained composure only when the news of appropriate action reached me.
SARVAM SRIKRISHNAARPANAMASTHU!

 
At Fri Oct 28, 09:06:00 PM CDT, Blogger TJ said...

Chakra,
Still, it woudl be great to hear frm u as well. Seekram indha post poduna!

Vatsan,
The planners had made huge blunders, which can not be reversed, just need to be lived through :(

lxsn,
Did u visit my aadi pathinettu post?? Our cauvery had a lot of water early this year as well.

Krishna,
Yes, that is the situation this time as well. But the situation has been aggravated because all the groves[thoppu] which was in 1977 have been converted to residential complexes which are flooded completely.

Sundaresan,
yes, the Seethalakshmi Ramaswami college comples was submeged till the first floor. I guess this 2005 stories will be there to be told to our next generation.

Ram,
correcta sonnenga, most of these colonies were developed by the owners of Sun.T.V. In the banks of the river, modhalla oru kudusai pottu, 'anna padippagam' appadeenu 4 news paper pottu ukkaruvanga. then oru flagpole, followed by other huts and it becomes a big nagar.

Anand,
Ranganathar, and Jambunathar know the best. There is a saying that, when Ranganathar is in water, or when Jambunathar is without water, then it is pralaya time.
I had an opprtunity to climb on the top most tier of the Srirangam Rajagopuram. Cauvery and Kollidam form an exact garland around both of them. they just remain as garlands.

 
At Sun Nov 06, 07:18:00 AM CST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hai all,

After couple of days please log on to "rangan's rooftop" (google search engine); I am drafting an elaborate report about 1977 and how this time Trichy should have escaped comparitively!! any specific rare pics taken in 1977, you can add pls!

Raghuram....

 

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