A day of rain submerges Chennai and much of Tamil Nadu. Roads break down more than cars, luxury condominiums gain unwanted swimming pools, and your spine gets its expected workout.
This isn’t new; it happens throughout India and even in the developed world.
“It’s fine, it’s only for a few days, it’s normal, the government is corrupt, roads are inferior quality”—so many comments during chit-chat at the office, a tea shop, or while chilling with friends and family. A few minutes of laughter, poking fun, choice words for the government, and then we shut it and forget it.
Does hidden shame or guilt prevent us from acting on our complaints? Those who buy apartments on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), in Perumbakkam, and beyond, chasing compatibility with Western lifestyles, are fully aware of their surroundings.
Disused, neglected streams, wetlands, and water bodies are sold by the government to real estate companies. The region’s low-lying geography and the destruction of natural drainage systems amplify waterlogging during rains.
The Perumbakkam wetlands once diverted excess rainwater into Okkiyam Maduvu, then the Buckingham Canal, and finally the sea. Urban projects have removed culverts for stormwater drains, blocking this and other vital pathways, increasing flood risk. Mudichur, Sembarampakkam—the list is long.
The irony is, if drainage or sewage systems function in these areas, evidence of a lake vanishes.
A few voices have advocated for restoring natural drainage systems and building elevated infrastructure to avoid obstructing water bodies. However, these pleas are akin to honking at a traffic signal.
Property sales in these environmentally sensitive areas continue to soar, fueled by people driving EVs and preaching sustainability. A house in these areas signals financial success and aligns with the social expectations of their peer group—affluent professionals, NRIs, or expats.
Our society has been conditioned to accept waterlogging, seepage, and broken roads as normal. The damage hits the poor and rich alike, yet neither introspects nor takes accountability. Why?
- Tolerance of waterlogging as long as it doesn’t disrupt life for more than a day.
- Freebies and inaction on encroachment silence the poor.
- The prestige of a new apartment silences the rich, unbothered by long-term flood risks.
- Denial of the possibility of good infrastructure.
- Western lifestyles in India come with disadvantages.
- The apartment is rich because I’m rich; the roads and sewage are non-functional because the country is poor.
A country that worships the cow does not care about calves being born in dumps or landfills, feeding off plastic.
Finally, the blame game. Blame the government, blame the officials, blame the “Indian work ethic.”
But the rich never think: Should I buy this house? Should I live in a place that has destroyed the habitat of birds and animals? Should I buy this house that has redirected sewage to other barely surviving water bodies?
And the poor never think: Should I dump my waste in this river or water body? Should I continue to encroach on this land?
No one cares about the environment or their fellow citizens as long as their needs, pleasures, and egos are met.
Both the rich and poor litter, pollute, and exploit the environment, heedless of the consequences. Both prioritize money and short-term lifestyle gains over long-term environmental health.
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