Airport wall floods surrounding areas

Airport wall floods surrounding areas
V Ayyappan TNN

Chennai: Residents of Manapakkam and Kolapakkam are in deep trouble, thanks to the flood prevention steps taken by the airport. Located on the north western side of the airport and sandwiched between Adyar river and Porur lake, these neighbourhoods have become inundated by floodwater. Stormwater and an overflowing Adyar river have already flooded the river-end of the secondary runway. However, flood will not affect airport operations as the secondary runway is not used regularly.

During heavy rain the overflowing water from Porur lake flows through these neighbourhoods and into the Adyar river. The airport authorities have built a wall to prevent the water from entering their ground. This has resulted in obstructing the water flow causing water logging in the residential areas of Manapakkam, Kolapakkam and Mogalivakkam.When Chembarampakkam reservoir was opened, water from Adyar river started flowing towards the residential areas in Manapakkam and even Porur.

Brinda Brighton, a resident of Manapakkam — one of the neighbourhoods marked for acquisition for airport expansion — said that water from the river had flooded the area. “The clearing and levelling works in the 129 acres acquired for extension work is causing flooding in the locality,” she added. “The problem will get complicated because Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning to extend the runway further across the river.

Unless the runway level is raised, flooding will affect airport operations in the future, said Captain A Ranganathan, a former pilot.

The expansion works would obstruct the flow of the Adyar river and the flow of floodwater from Porur to the river. Hence, flooding might hamper aircraft operations on the secondary runway and the parallel runway, a former AAI official said.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOI/navigator.asp?Daily=TOICH&login=default&AW=1228104326406