Work on desilting of clogged stormwater drains in the city will begin soon.
The Chennai Corporation will desilt drains on most roads and complete the work by July 31.
Mayor Saidai Duraisamy, at a meeting on Saturday, directed officials to clear clogged stretches of 1,400 km of stormwater drains in the city.
The effort is part of the civic body’s pre-monsoon preparedness in the 15 zones covering 426 sq. km. of the city.
This year, it will also involve prevention of accumulation of debris, silt, sewage and municipal solid waste in stormwater drains.
“Measures to prevent sewage flow in stormwater drains have been in place over the past few years. Despite that, illegal sewage inlets in stormwater drains have increased in many localities. Such inlets are likely to make the desilting work more challenging,” said an official.
The civic body usually completes desilting of stormwater drains before September to cope with the northeast monsoon.
In the past two years, officials at the zonal level have been asked to speed up desilting work using contract workers. This year, additional workers will support around 280 malaria workers in the desilting operations.
“Commissioning of structures to prevent accumulation of silt has already begun on some roads. The condition of roads and drains on most roads prone to inundation will be better this year,” said an official.
