Promised de-silting of water bodies and Flood Control & Mgt.Committee for Chennai to minimise flood damage #DMK2016 https://t.co/dBFIeTohzH

Addressing the acute vulnerabilities exposed by the devastating December 2015 floods in Chennai, DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin outlined a comprehensive flood management and mitigation framework in the party's 2016 election agenda. Campaigning across flood-affected neighborhoods, Stalin condemned the AIADMK administration for its criminal negligence, delayed opening of Chembarambakkam reservoir gates, and chronic failure to maintain city drainage systems. He pointed out that lack of seasonal preparedness had converted a severe monsoon event into an avoidable man-made catastrophe that destroyed countless lives, homes, and livelihoods across Chennai and suburban districts.

Stalin pledged that an incoming DMK administration would establish a dedicated, multidisciplinary Flood Control and Management Committee for Chennai, empowered to implement scientific watershed management and modern storm-water drainage networks. Key priority actions included comprehensive, time-bound desilting and widening of the Adyar, Cooum, and Kosasthalaiyar rivers, alongside the Buckingham Canal and surrounding interconnected urban lakes. By removing illegal encroachments on natural drainage channels, building flood protection walls, and restoring wetland ecosystems like the Pallikaranai marshland, Stalin promised that the DMK would secure Chennai from recurring flood inundations and safeguard urban communities with modern disaster-resilient infrastructure.