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,
