In flood-prone Vyasarpadi, schoolchildren gear up as saviours

A group of school children in Vyasarpadi, a working-class neighbourhood in North Chennai, have spent the last six months training to become "flood saviours" for their community, which faces inundation almost every monsoon. Equipped with local hydrology lessons and disaster preparedness training, these young volunteers have mapped flood-prone pockets, surveyed local families, and even submitted a detailed plan to city officials to ensure their neglected area is not caught unprepared again.

Vyasarpadi, like many parts of Chennai, experiences severe flooding annually due to heavy rains, poor drainage, and clogged, encroached waterways. Historically, around 1,500 houses in the area would be inundated, and residents often felt isolated with no media or government officials visiting during the floods.

Understanding the problem

The children, trained by the Chennai Climate Action Group and Palluyir Trust, with support from the local NGO Vyasai Thozhargal, first learned about the devastating impact of floods through their own experiences.

“The first time I saw a flood was in 2015. I was in Class 1. There was water in my house. We were sitting on chairs and I was made to sit atop the stove. Water did not recede for a week,” one student recalled.

Another student reflected on the shift in perspective, “We were kids during the 2015 flood. We thought inundation was fun as we could play in the water. But as we grew older, we understood the devastating impacts of the flood. Most parts of Chennai are flood-prone. But water recedes faster in other places, compared to our area.”

The training involved field visits across Chennai, including Ennore, Pulicat, the Buckingham Canal, the Pallikaranai marsh, Kovalam, and Muttukadu, to understand how the city's drainage network connects and how water moves.

“Chennai once had many canals and wetlands, but now we have to search for them,” a volunteer lamented. “We learnt why floods happen and why they occur particularly in our area. We went on field visits and saw wetlands and canals.”

Mapping risks and readiness

Using their knowledge of local hydrology, the volunteers began mapping the flood-prone areas in Vyasarpadi, identifying where and why water collects. They identified several encroachments along the Buckingham Canal — near the Captain Cotton Canal and the CPCL Manali bridge — which they believe are blocking stormwater flow and exacerbating floods across North Chennai.

They also surveyed about 80 families in their neighbourhood to gauge residents's monsoon readiness.

"Kids are prepared for the flood," said Sakthi from Vyasai Thozhargal. "They have water, solar power facilities, raincoats, whistles, torchlights, candles, battery lights, and more at the ready. They also know how to plan for food and milk arrangements. Now, we are teaching them how to reach government officials and politicians when in need.”

For the working-class majority in Vyasarpadi, floods mean a severe financial and personal crisis. Losing a day's work means their families suffer, and if homes are flooded, the loss of belongings —their assets — doubles their troubles.

Sarath from Vyasai Thozhargal highlighted the community's struggles, "In most parts of Chennai, people recover from the effects of floods within a few days. But it takes longer in Vyasarpadi. If their homes are flooded, the situation becomes even worse because they lose their belongings. For people here, their belongings are their assets."

He added that residents often refuse to go to relief camps, fearing their belongings will be lost or damaged, leading them to stay in knee-level or hip-level water for days, causing injuries and, in some cases, loss of life.

Taking action

Despite the area’s continuous plight, few parts of Vyasarpadi were categorised as a red zone in the City Disaster Management Prospective Plan for 2025. The young volunteers swiftly compiled a detailed report, leveraging the mapping techniques they had learned.

In October, they met with zonal officers to submit a letter requesting that their area be officially recognised as flood-risk zone. The zonal officer was impressed and added a Vyasai Thozhargal volunteer's contact number to a WhatsApp group for flood relief updates.

"When the government marks a place as a flood-prone zone, planning and preparedness are done for that area during times of flooding," explained Prasanth from the Chennai Climate Action Group (CCAG). "Since this area was not listed, we cannot expect a relief camp here. When it rains, residents will not know where to go, and officers might not be reachable during such situations as they may be busy with several other tasks."

The children, on behalf of Vyasai Thozhargal, have submitted a list of suggestions to the Corporation covering pre, during, and post-flood needs. Their plan involves forming four teams: a people safety team, a savings/procurement team (for funding and resource distribution), a war room, and rescue teams, along with a detailed outline of their operations. The tuition centre where the children learn has already been designated as a relief camp for high-alert situations.

When asked about their first course of action during a flood, one student confidently stated, “Bring people from low-lying areas and make them stay in this tuition centre. Announce to everyone that the flood is going to be devastating and ask them to stay safe.” Another added, “We were taught about the emergency items to be used (as volunteers) during floods. These include walkie-talkies, raincoats, etc.”

The rains will inevitably come, but this time, Vyasarpadi is not waiting for disaster. In every whistle, torchlight, and sandbag, a new narrative of resilience and courage is being written by the children.

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