Coming Soon: Flooded But Parched in Chennai

If you think this an important story about Namma Chennai, please support us in bringing out these stories.

Our two part documentary series on Living With Climate Change focuses on Chennai and the duality of drought and floods that plague the city every year.

(Image: Aroop Mishra/ The Quint)

Video Editor: Harpal Rawat

Cameraperson & Producer: Smitha TK

In another 8 years, by 2030, about half of Chennai will not have access to water. At least 60% of the city’s groundwater will be depleted by then

Chennai, India’s sixth-largest city gets an average of about 1,400mm (55 inches) of rainfall a year, yet in 2019 it hit the headlines for being one of the first major cities in the world to run out of water—trucking in 10 million liters a day to hydrate its population. Chennai has been oscillating between a flood and drought-like situation every year. Chennai already sits on a low plain on the southeast coast of India, intersected by three main rivers, all heavily polluted, that drain into the Bay of Bengal.

Climate change is at play every day, but there is a certain political apathy as well as both Dravidian parties in the state have failed to treat this issue with the seriousness that it deserves.

Rampant corruption has led to unplanned infrastructure obstructing waterways, thus aiding climate change.

Is Chennai approaching an impending man-made disaster? Is there a solution? Can Chennai be saved?

We are trying to get some answers in our 2-part series Chennai parched yet flooded? But to tell these stories well, we need a bit of help from you.

We need about Rs 3,89,000 for research, travel, shooting and post-production of these stories. If you think it's an important story about Namma Chennai, please go to our special projects page right here and support our stories.

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