The Greater Chennai Corporation is all set to redesign stormwater drains to reduce flooding in the city.
“We will use new design techniques. It will include a design with curvilinear bottom surface'. This design will reduce accumulation of silt,” said an official.
Work commences
The new design techniques will be implemented in the existing projects in Adyar and Cooum basins in the added areas of the city. After a delay in the commencement of the integrated stormwater drain project due to the Assembly elections, the civic body has resumed road digging work.
Currently, the city has 1,880 km of stormwater drains with conventional flat bottomed surface. A study has found that the conventional flat bottomed design has contributed to accumulation of silt in large quantities. The civic body has been carrying out three cycles of desilting every year.
The new design with ‘curvilinear bottom surface’ would facilitate smoother flow of stormwater, washing and carrying away silt during every spell of rain. The civic body would also develop silt trap reservoir every 30 metres with curved bottom.
Dredging operations
As part of monsoon preparedness, the civic body has desilted 15 percent of drains this year. Desilting operations will be carried out at a cost Rs.18 crore this year.
The civic body has also redesigned the alignment of drains to prevent cutting of trees along roads. Work on 35 packages has started at Valasaravakkam, Alandur and Ambattur. Alignment of drains in areas such as Park Road in Ambattur Zone has been made along the median to save trees. At least 260 kilometres of drains are expected to be developed along 1,980 roads as part of the Rs. 1,100-crore project.
The new design
will be implemented
in the existing projects on Adyar
and Cooum basins
