News:

Whither town planning? :

The torrential rains this season and the resultant flooding have shown up the soft spots in the metropolis' suburbs. They could be factors that may well change real estate market preferences, say T. Ramakrishnan and K. Ramachandran

This year's northeast monsoon has shattered numerous house owners of Chennai, particularly those in the suburbs. Be it Velachery, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam or Madhavaram, flooding has left many house owners virtually shelterless.

For the uninitiated
Chennai's suburbs have typical problems. Several people have settled down in lake areas and in dry beds of water bodies. The reason being that it is cheaper to buy land and build a small shelter on. Over the years, these houses get bigger.

The Government itself, over the years, has built tenements in such areas. For instance, officials concede that the State Housing Board has built colonies on the sites, which were once part of Velachery and Mogappair lakes. Here too, the reason remains the same — less expenditure for government to take over the land.

The unauthorised occupation of lakes, tanks, canals and water bodies has only accentuated the problems for those who have built their homes on approved layouts. "So, it is not correct to blame us when the root of the problem lies somewhere else," says R. Ganesan, a resident of Adambakkam.

The solution:
Evict encroachers on water bodies. But that needs political will. And a few other measures such as taking advantage of the large number of tanks and lakes that dot the sprawling metropolis and use them to store rainwater, say water managers.

Three years ago, the Government decided to transfer the control of about 20 lakes from the PWD to Metrowater. Now the latter is selecting consultants for preparing plans to improve the lakes. But, there is also an opinion that as these lakes are not stand-alone water bodies, a comprehensive plan has to be formulated for proper development.

As the urban sprawl spreads bigger, some lakes have turned dumps for sewage or solid waste from the isolated colonies that are not connected to main water lines. So, planning for orderly development will have to provide for a large sewage disposal system — a costly proposition that many local bodies do not address unless they are forced into a mega plan by state governments.

In dilemma
Madhavaram and Valasaravakkam are classic examples of this civic dilemma. These burgeoning residential localities have elected local bodies that possess neither the funds nor the technology or expertise to deal with the sewage problem. In rainy days, entire neighbourhoods are flooded with a mixture of rainwater and sewage. This has ensured that property costs plummet down as seen in parts of Madipakkam, Velachery and Madhavaram or Valasaravakkam. Many hesitate to buy a house or land in a place where three or four feet of water stagnates for two weeks during the monsoon.

Town planners such as A.N. Sachitanandan say the metropolis is endowed with enough flood carriers in the north and south from the Kosastaliyar river to the Buckingham Canal or the Adyar river. They have to be regularly desilted. Unless, property owners and buyers are both convinced that flooding during rains is a manageable problem, the real estate market will remain stagnant as the water there.

What the SMP says
Is the delay in finalising the Second Master Plan for Chennai leading to flooding? This question is uppermost among several planning experts. In 1974-75, the city's First Master Plan was adopted.

In 1994-95, the Second Master Plan (SMP) was unveiled. But civic activists took several objections to the way it was formulated through an official exercise. The activists wanted more participation from civil society in creating a Master Plan that designs and determines the way people live in Chennai Metropolitan Area.

The exercise, going by official versions, to formulate the Second Master Plan will end in a few weeks, and a final draft will be announced. The question now is whether the yet-to-be unveiled SMP possesses a comprehensive solution to flooding.

Town Planner A.N. Sachitanandan is joined by real estate promoters such as M. Sundaram. Their contentions in short are:

. Identify lakes, water bodies and their flood channels both inlets and outlets.

. Clearly demarcate space where no development or encroachment can be allowed.

. Increase water storage capacity so that the costlier solutions such as bringing in water from a distance can be reduced considerably.

. Detailed Development Plans need to show the pathway of the flood carrier through every neighbourhood. If building a road across a waterway or lake is unavoidable, plan the required number of siphons and their size to carry huge flood levels.

. Avoid 20 ft. road in new layouts. The minimum road widths should be 33 ft., so that there is enough space for storm water drains, and a clearly demarcated and isolated sewage system.

. Use the local community to protect lakes, rivers and water bodies. Make them responsible for the lake upkeep.

. Government should facilitate the process by providing technical assistance and part-funding.

. Vigorously continue the desilting operations and river water conservation projects so that sewage fallout into water bodies is completely avoided.