Floods in Chennai and the Real Estate Conundrum: Need for Sustainable Solutions

It’s summer and have we already forgotten about the annual floods? Last December’s disastrous confrontation with monsoons and floods is not new to the city, but it is often washed away by the city’s other priorities.

Throughout history, Chennai has suffered a series of disasters, both related to climate and other factors. Over time, such calamities, especially floods and droughts, have escalated, with significant consequences for the city and its population, economy and infrastructure.

What the city needs is strategic urban planning, efficient water management and collaborative governance to reduce flooding. Chennai must also be prepared to respond effectively to disasters as they occur. It is critical to prioritize the needs of vulnerable communities and small businesses, who are often hardest hit by such events.

The wrath of floods

Cyclone Michaung, which hit Chennai in December 2023, is yet another reminder of the systemic failure of the city’s resource management. Besides the health camps organized in the aftermath of floods and the provision of relief supplies to citizens, there remains uncertainty about the government’s long-term strategies for effective disaster management.

Read more: Stranded and abandoned: Study shows displaced families found themselves in the path of floods

What do social authorities mean when they say they are focusing on “preparedness”? How prepared for disasters should the metropolis be and on what scale? In its quest for resilience, Chennai often fails to address the root causes of the disaster.

One of the main reasons for flooding is the degradation of wetlands. Real estate companies are allowed to break regulations and encroach on lakes and swamps, while authorities are hypocritical when they evacuate marginalized communities from these water bodies. Rather than just preparing Chennai for recurring disasters, let’s focus on understanding why these crises intensify annually and where our year-round practices fall short.

The pervasive presence of land mafias

In December last year, the Datajam, organized by OpenCity.in in collaboration with the Information and Resource Center for Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC) and the Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG), analyzed available data, including crowdsourced and government data. about flooding, rainwater drains and height differences, and came out with critical information.

The purpose of this exercise was to identify systemic problems and propose possible solutions. The participants highlighted the rapid urbanization of Chennai over the past two decades. They noted that as more buildings go up, they become increasingly susceptible to flooding, especially those located near existing lakes and wetlands.

One of the teams also highlighted the encroachment of water bodies due to planned developments, citing cases of blocked passage channels, silted canals and government-led encroachments. These include the ELCOT and NIOT projects in Sholinganallur, which have affected significant areas of the Pallikaranai wetland.

The Datajam participants underscored the need to regulate land use and scrutinize revenue data transparently to prevent more such violations. They proposed demarcating existing water bodies, establishing flood zones and halting resettlement of flood-prone individuals in similar areas.

Map of buildings affected by flooding during Cyclone Michaung. Map courtesy of: Open City

An audit report on flood management by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) highlighted the escalating rate of encroachment on elite wetlands since the 2015 floods and revealed the discriminatory nature of eviction and resettlement practices. This increased flooding has negatively affected the living conditions of vulnerable communities, the report said.

The data revealed a worrying trend of marginalized communities being forcibly relocated to inadequate housing in wetlands. Meanwhile, luxury apartment complexes and buildings housing technology companies remain largely untouched. The report recommended the removal of property developments.

Examples from past experiences

There are no clear zones marked for flooding in the Development Regulations of the State Master Plan and Building Rules for Municipalities in Tamil Nadu District (1972). However, Rule 7 of the Construction Rules states that if a construction site is within 15 meters of a body of water, necessary measures must be taken to protect it as directed by the Executive.

In June 2012, a committee headed by CMDA’s vice chairman proposed a 50-foot buffer zone between the river and any proposed building, with plans to issue an office order to enforce this rule.

Read more: Resilience amid adversity: How RWAs in Tambaram helped combat floods

Despite the guidelines, CMDA continued to grant building permits for buildings within the 15-metre buffer zone without taking measures to prevent damage to these water bodies.

The following table, published in the audit report, shows numerous instances where CMDA-approved buildings were located within 50 feet of waterways. During the 2015 floods, these buildings were flooded

Why are marginalized settlements referred to as ‘encroachments’ while luxury real estate developments are labeled as ‘lake view apartments’? This is evident from a report by the IRCDUC — “Placing people in the path of floods and environmentally sensitive areas under the guise of restoring waterways has only increased the vulnerabilities of communities already in dire straits due to resettlements.”

To prepare? Or partially prevented?

There is a need to explore the challenges of flood management, identifying the real stakeholders and those burdened with its costs.

Some points to think about:

Policy frameworks focused solely on crisis management have consistently proven to be ineffective and short-lived. Long-term planning is necessary.
Marginalized communities, MSMEs and other vulnerable groups are the worst hit by disasters. Yet, after the crisis, the government repeats the same mistakes and worsens the situation.
There should be a clear mandate to regulate real estate projects in eco-sensitive areas, while taking appropriate measures to rehabilitate marginalized communities, in lieu of housing in wetlands.
Rather than focusing solely on post-disaster management plans, it is equally, if not more, critical to identify persistent shortcomings in land use dynamics and their impact on the environment.

The wrath of floods

Related Posts