A woman walks with an umbrella on a road during heavy rainfall in Chennai.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: With Assembly elections just six months away, the intensifying Northeast monsoon across Tamil Nadu which is dumping heavy rains poses a major test for the ruling DMK government’s preparedness, especially in the state capital and nearby districts.
Though the government says it is “fully prepared” to face an above-average monsoon, the first intense spells under the influence of weather systems in the Bay of Bengal have already exposed these claims with many localities on the outskirts of Chennai continue to struggle with waterlogging, poor road conditions, and garbage accumulation.
The period from October to December, when the NEM sets in and withdraws, is generally difficult for Tamil Nadu due to monsoon rains. In recent years, the monsoon has become erratic over the years with climate change resulting in high rainfall volumes over short durations.
For the past four days, deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has been on the move visiting one locality after the other to inspect the preparedness of the administration in tackling the monsoon and the damage caused by the first spell of rains. The government says the entire administration is on its toes to handle the rains even as special officers have been appointed to districts that might be prone to heavy to very heavy rainfall.
The situation seems to be pretty bad in localities of south Chennai like Medavakkam, Pallikaranai, Thoraipakkam, and Sholinganallur – tech-savvy professionals have been using social media platforms to highlight the bad condition of roads and how sludge has been accumulating and accusing the civic body of not clearing them.
These areas were worst-hit in 2023 when Cyclone Michaung hit the coast of Chennai, battering the entire city. Despite the government claiming to have implemented storm water drains in the city, many residents took to X and other platforms to complain about waterlogging and potholes on roads.
They complained that motorists are unsafe on these roads and asked the government to ensure that civic authorities repair these roads and maintain them properly.
With the MeT department predicting heavy rainfall next week and the monsoon expected to dump more rains till December, the DMK dispensation may come under further attack from Opposition parties. The principal opposition party, AIADMK, has already accused the ruling party of having “failed” farmers in the fertile Cauvery delta region by not giving them adequate compensation for failed crops.
The DMK did come under intense attack from the opposition and public over its handling of the 2023 and 2024 floods in Chennai and Villupuram respectively. Political analysts said the ruling party should brace itself for more criticism or scrutiny during the monsoon season especially with the elections just six months away and opposition parties making it an issue.