6 months ago
2
In Vyasarpadi, a working-class neighbourhood successful northbound Chennai that often bears the brunt of monsoon flooding, a radical of schoolchildren from J.J.R. Nagar is taking connected a caller relation this Northeast monsoon asclimate volunteers.
Equipped with lessons successful section hydrology, they are mapping flood-prone areas, spreading consciousness astir exigency helplines, and coordinating with zonal officials to tackle waterlogging earlier it turns severe.
Every year, erstwhile dense rainfall oregon cyclonic storms origin flooding, unpaid groups — mostly made up of young radical — mobilise crossed Chennai to rescue stranded residents and administer nutrient and supplies. But successful Vyasarpadi, the attack is shifting from alleviation to resilience. Instead of waiting for floods, these children are learning however their country drains, wherefore h2o stagnates, and whom to interaction erstwhile assistance is needed.
The six-member ‘Youth Climate Resilience Movement’ — K. Kavya (15), D. Tharani (15), V. Dinesh (16), S. Rishitha (15), S. Harish (12) and D. Vigneshwari (18) — was trained by the Chennai Climate Action Group (CCAG) and Palluyir Trust, with enactment from Vyasai Thozhargal, a section non-governmental organisation.
According to Sakthi, a nonrecreational lensman and subordinate of Vyasai Thozhargal, the inaugural grew retired of a tiny tuition centre for children from marginalised families. “We encouraged them to inquire questions — wherefore h2o stagnates for days aft rain, wherever the alleviation camps are, and whom to telephone during emergencies,” helium says.
Training programme
The grooming introduced the children to however municipality flooding works and however Chennai’s drainage systems connect. They were taken to cardinal sites crossed the metropolis — from Ennore and Pulicat successful the northbound to the Buckingham Canal, Pallikaranai marsh, and the coastal stretches of Kovalam and Muttukadu — to recognize the city’s hydrology.
“Earlier, I didn’t adjacent cognize what ‘climate change’ meant. I learnt everything from the beginning. We besides learnt that our country [J.J.R. Nagar] is not marked arsenic a flood hazard portion successful the metropolis catastrophe absorption program for Zone IV,” says Dinesh.
The squad identified encroachments on stretches of the Buckingham Canal, including astatine Captain Cotton Canal and adjacent the CPCL Manali bridge, which are said to beryllium blocking stormwater travel and worsened flooding successful Vyasar Paadi, M.K.B. Nagar, Kodungaiyur, and Manali.
As portion of their project, the squad surveyed astir 80 families successful Vyasarpadi to gauge consciousness of exigency contacts and flood preparedness. “Barely a fewer knew the interaction numbers of officials beyond the constabulary oregon energy office. Some didn’t adjacent cognize those,” says Kavya. Tharani adds that they besides recorded residents’ lived experiences, from nutrient shortages to days-long powerfulness cuts, to item the mundane interaction of flooding.
On October 22, the radical visited the zonal bureau and submitted a missive requesting designation of J.J.R. Nagar arsenic a flood-prone country and entree to details of section alleviation camps, aesculapian officers, and nationalist wellness officials.
Need for clime education
Prasanth from CCAG says the effort shows however clime acquisition tin physique assemblage preparedness. “A unpaid from extracurricular tin lone spell truthful far. But erstwhile children who unrecorded present recognize however the strategy works and whom to contact, they tin instrumentality that cognition backmost to their ain streets,” helium says.
Next, the squad plans to nonstop a missive to the Mayor and Corporation Commissioner on with their survey findings, urging enactment to wide encroachments and amended stormwater drainage.
