Rivers Remember: The Shocking Truth of a Manmade Flood

by Krupa Ge

Floodwaters, sewage and the remains of humankind’s greed swallowed a city whole in December 2015. In the face of gross mismanagement by those in power, Chennai lost lives, homes and livelihoods.

Waters from the city’s many lakes, canals and rivers, which humans had usurped and eaten into with tar roads and concrete jungles, retraced their old routes and ate anything that came in their way. Like they did in Mumbai in 2005, Surat in 2006, Srinagar in 2014 and Kerala in 2018. As they might in Bangalore someday, or in Kolkata.

To make sense of the horror of those days, Krupa Ge spent over three years filing RTIs, reading government documents and archival material, and interviewing stakeholders, journalists and the people of Chennai. What she arrives at is the shocking truth of how masterly inactivity drowned the city, and how it could happen again. And again.

But the heart of the book is in the stories of the people, including Krupa’s own parents, who were caught up in the nightmare of the floods—of their resilience and kindness, and the faultlines of caste and class that the crisis exposed.

‘Chennai’s history, tradition, culture and people are vital to the idea of a rich, diverse India. The floods that ravaged this great city should never be forgotten, to continually remind us of the stakes and hence our responsibilities. Combining historical documents, first-person accounts, interviews and government reports, this painstakingly researched book makes an important contribution to keeping such memories alive.’-Arvind Subramanian, former chief economic advisor and besotted Chennaiite

‘In December 2015, a city drowned when forgotten rivers and built-over lakes came back to reclaim what was rightfully theirs. Weaving together Krupa’s own harrowing experience of the floods with that of others whose lives were forever changed, Rivers Remember also meticulously traces the why and how of what happened. Taut and incisive, this is a cautionary tale that serves to remind us we can only abuse nature so much, while telling the larger story of how urban planning works across India.’-Anita Nair

‘The Cooum, Adyar and Kosasthalaiyar Rivers carry within their dark waters the future, present and the past of their city—Chennai. In December 2015, that city drowned. From deep within those unforgiving waters, Krupa Ge recovers stories, memories and truths of despair, nostalgia, neglect, discrimination, hope, tragedy, corruption, death and life. Through this telling, she warns us of a dystopian future where 2015 comes to stay, even as the death knell gets louder.-T.M. Krishna

Genres: Nonfiction, India

196 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 5, 2019

About the author

Krupa Ge is a writer from Madras. She is the author of a novel, What We Know About Her (Context, 2021) and a narrative non-fiction book, Rivers Remember (Context, 2019).

Reviews

[Sankarshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://medium.com/@sankarshan/changi...

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In December 2015, Chennai experienced heavy floods, paralysing the city and causing loss of lives, livelihoods and property. In the aftermath, authorities evaded blame, calling it a 'hundred year flood'. Interspersing tales of those trapped by the floods with the histories of the waterbodies of Chennai and her own attempts, through RTI (Right to Information) requests to get to the truth, journalist Krupa Ge finds a trail of incompetence, corruption and gross dereliction of duties. With buildings being approved dangerously close to waterbodies or on dried floodland, with rivers and canals filled with sewage and choked with trash, this was a disaster waiting to happen. Outmoded rules, no clear disaster management plan and the bureaucratic paralysis fostered by the Jayalalitha regime meant Chennai was not just unprepared for heavy rains, the city made bad decisions, releasing water from overstrained reservoirs just when it would do the most harm.
This book should be a wake up call to citizens across India. Every year another section of our nation cowers under previously unprecedented flooding. We live in an era of climate change, yes, but we can try to mitigate its impact by improving our preparedness and by reclaiming our natural waterbodies and flood channels. Read Ge's book for the facts, but also for vivid glimpses of history and for the human face of the disaster, including the leading role of local fisherpeople and Eelam refugees in rescue and relief efforts. A bit more line editing would have pleased me, but I'm famously picky in matters of prose minutiae, so eff that.

[Umesh Kesavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author who lost her house to the Chennai Mega floods of 2015 goes in search of the culprit behind the crime and concludes that it is a collective act of the human race exacerbated by governmental apathy. Her lyrical prose weaves different narratives seamlessly - personal , legal , political , societal, geographical and historical. It is a must read for policy makers who ought to realize that behind their decisions (or indecisions) lie the tears and blood of a suffering populace. She introduces a wide array of characters - volunteers ,activists and pluviophiles - but the most memorable of all are the rivers -Adyar, Cooum and Kosasthalaiyar- which flow through the city of Chennai. In making us remember the rivers (which remember) lies the book's success.

[Amirtha Shri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was tricked by the title into thinking that I'd get to know all about the wrath of nature which led to the Chennai floods in 2015. What actually partook was the ambush of facts about inefficiency, misconduct, exoneration, and indifference of bureaucracy.

Krupa patiently, but succinctly, divulges assorted facets of the disaster with a sensitive fervor. A few interesting topics covered were: a basic education on the current and historic status of waterbodies, drainage, and settlement patterns of Chennai; coverage of impact, distress, relief, and anecdotes of- estranged families, defenseless hospitals, precarious travel, ravaged slums, NGOs, spread of rumours; the movements and literature that arose for awareness - e.g. Chennai Poromboke Paadal ft. T M Krishna by Jayaraman and Kaber Vasuki. She has not shied away from naming organizations and the exact pain-points, ridiculous responses, and her exasperation at various political bodies.

Although I was blanketed by the madness of it all, a few chapters on how relief was provided in incredible ways by compassionate people, mostly those who were victims themselves, warmed me to the spirit of the city. But I part with the book sickened by as nothing valuable was learned from the calamity and that we cannot expect anything better next time because mitigation measures are outdated and disaster management remains nonexistent.

[Chandni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Krupa Ge's 'Rivers Remember' is an important book and grim reminder of the unsustainable pattern of urbanization we see across India. Anchored firmly in personal experience and memories, the book deftly covers Chennai's history, geography, politics, and culture to understand how the 2015 floods were constructed.

Although I've done research on disaster management in Tamil Nadu over the past 4 years, the book, was a refreshing read and taught me a lot. What I particularly liked is that alongside the narrative of government apathy and blindness, Ge discusses her use of the RTI to hold the government accountable and demand answers. All in all, a must read for anyone who's wondered why our cities don't work for it's dwellers.

[Yadhu Nandhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book comes out right from the heart of the writer and journalist Krupa after she herself and her family are being held as victims of the 2015 Chennai floods.

This is a daring work which is a result of her search through the archives and RTI petitions and multiple interviews for the reason for the pathetic state of the state where the streets get engulfed every year in floods.

This book stands on the people's side and makes us think of the unnoticed set of people. It is a mix of the personal losses due to the flood and that of the people with analysis on the poor planning and maintenance of the city's infrastructure and waterways along with some history and how multiple governments have failed in their duty.

And this book is not only the story of Chennai city but that of a lot of cities in India.

Above all these, the thing that stands out in this book is the essence of it is mainly focused on the empathy and love that the people had shown to each other at the time of crisis.

Overall this book asks us to Remember our Rivers.

[Komal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good lesson for us all that 'failure of government' should replace 'climate change' while thinking of the impact of large scale natural disasters.
A brilliant book written with seething rage, single minded determination, and neat precision to uncover the truth behind the havoc reeked by the 2015 floods in Chennai.

[Jonathan Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow for once an assigned book to read that didn't suck!

[Sujani S · Rating 5 out of 5]

An investigative record par excellence, “Rivers remember” by Krupa Ge describes the heavy floods that swept Chennai in December 2015, resulting in loss of lives and property. The book makes it clear through historical anecdotes, conversations with the distressed people and evidence gathered through RTI including CAG’s report, that the floods were caused due to two reasons - poor urban planning and inefficient (also harrowingly outdated) disaster management schemes, as opposed to the official insistence that it’s a “natural disaster”. Official number of deaths quoted was 38 which is laughable, and what’s worse is to learn that there was no Government warning before the imminent catastrophe, inspite of all early indications.


The cool bits of history about Cooum, Kosasthalaiyar, Chembarambakkam and Adayar - the water bodies of Chennai are colourfully described, and they are most effectively interposed with interviews of people affected by the floods from all walks of life. The fact that the poor and the oppressed stand the most to loose, due to the negligence of authorities comes as no surprise, but hits hard nevertheless. It’s a shame to read about encroachments and coal power plants in the Buckingham canal and fly ash pollution in Ennore creek - all promises by politicians to create “Singara Chennai” and subsequent (but expected) inaction is enraging.


Krupa Ge powerfully conveys her angst and the love for her city, this book is definitely a warning that climate changes and better governance are not things to be taken lightly, not just in Chennai but all over the country. Read it, for it’s a voice of truth!

[Idyll]

This is a well-researched book, but keep in mind that it is not written by a historian or a climate scientist or an engineer (or civil engineer) or a sociologist. It is written by a cultural writer whose city was consumed by the floods. She witnessed the loss or change of many lives and the obliteration of whole neighborhoods. Her own house was destroyed beyond recognition. It is very hard to arrive at an objective view on a topic that hits so close to home, and yet, she managed a beautiful balance of fact and story.

Krupa Ge presents many stories of people who risked their lives to help absolute strangers. Those stories were a striking contrast to her portrayal of politicians and experts as being apathetic and incompetent. I hope this book inspires people to pressure authorities to prioritize modernizing the water management systems in Chennai.

I recently read an article in The Guardian on what it would take to create a flood-proof city: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/20...

I wonder if Chennai is considering similar solutions!

3.5/5 for me.

[Raja Sunkara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the book has many lessons for administrators and public, I would have liked a more chronological narration of the events that took place before, during and after the Chennai Floods. At times, the book reads like a collection of stories of individual loss. At other times, it is a description of events that took place. A more thematic arrangement of chapters would help readers. Besides, I could not understand why some of the chapters were named what they were.