HEAVY rain triggered by Cyclone Michaung has brought Chennai to its knees. At least 12 deaths have been reported so far, even as floodwaters have inundated roads, subways and government hospitals and swept away vehicles. It is evident that this southern metropolis was ill-prepared for the cyclonic storm despite the series of alerts issued by the early-warning system. Striking a discordant note, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has claimed that Chennai ‘escaped’ only because of the desilting works carried out at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore. According to him, the cyclone-induced rainfall has been higher than what the state received in 2015, when nearly 200 deaths were reported.

It is unfortunate that the CM is resorting to political one-upmanship amid a calamity by claiming that the handling of the situation by the DMK government has been far better compared to the floods of 2015, when the AIADMK was in power. The flooding of Chennai has exposed the inadequacies of the city’s storm-water drainage. The misgovernance and lack of preparedness raise questions about the implementation of the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project. This project covers 13 cyclone-prone states and union territories. Tamil Nadu is categorised as a highly vulnerable state along with Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and West Bengal. This implies that these states have to remain in a state of readiness for any eventuality throughout the year.