Municipal solid waste will not make its way into stormwater drains in the city, this monsoon.
The Chennai Corporation has started work on vertical grating on roads to prevent waste from entering stormwater drains.
“Vertical grating has been fitted, every five metres, on Sterling Road. Accumulation of municipal solid waste in drains will reduce considerably this northeast monsoon. More roads will get the vertical grating shortly. All roads will be covered based on a decision by the council,” said an official of the Corporation.
Expensive horizontal catch pits on stretches such as St. Mary’s Road and Old Jail Road have also been fitted by the civic body. But most roads in the city are not suited for horizontal catch pits.
“One fitting of vertical grating costs just Rs. 1,000. Maintenance is also easier. Most roads do not have space for construction of silt catch pit. Such roads will have vertical grating,” said the official.
Most of the inlet arrangements in vertical form have a length of one metre and height of 15 cm.
Stormwater drains in most roads have large accumulation of plastic waste. The civic body carries out desilting of drains before the onset of the northeast monsoon, every year, to prevent inundation.
After the new inlet arrangements are in place, the amount of municipal solid waste accumulated in stormwater drains will reduce considerably.
“The frequency of desilting operations may reduce after implementation of the new system,” said the official.
