The next step
The iconic, aesthetic, vibrant city of Chennai turned into a city of flooded streets, fallen trees, and darkness, without basic essentials due to tropical cyclone Michaung. We are blaming the government for its tardy response but a closer look reveals a multitude of factors that include unscientific urban planning, a colonisation of wetlands, lakes and river banks, improper disposal of plastic waste which has clogged storm water drains, deforestation and, finally, climate change. Setting up a special task force comprising social activists, academicians in urban planning, government officials, and urban local government needs to be in place. This must result in an urban plan that is tailor-made for local conditions, leading to the recovery of colonised wetlands , riverbank areas and the rehabilitation of its inhabitants, widespread afforestation, a scientific study of storm water drains and a robust plastic waste disposal system.
R. Srivatsan,
Chennai
A repeated and disturbing line in many of The Hindu’s reports on why Chennai has been battered is the ‘presence of garbage, sludge and plastic waste’ playing a role in the flooding. There has to be a serious approach taken from now to ensure that the storm water network is free of waste and works well.
S. Venkataraman,
Chennai
Chennai F4 night race
At a time when Chennai is still reeling after the cyclone, we do not know why the State government is so keen to focus on conducting the Formula 4 night street race in Chennai. Citizens are suffering and the eagerness to conduct the race is much like Roman emperor Nero fiddling. The cyclone has anyway unmasked the DMK government’s failures and it has proven to be no different from the AIADMK.
N. Mahadevan,
Chennai
Needless remarks
It is disturbing that the floor of the Lok Sabha was used to generate needless controversy (“DMK MP’s remark on Hindi heartland States roils LS; BJP wants Stalin also to apologise”, December 7). The seriousness of the matter can be gauged from the Samajwadi Party’s reaction. That the unsavoury remarks were made by an elected representative makes it even more appalling.
B. Suresh Kumar,
Coimbatore
