An infrastructure project aimed at preventing rainwater stagnation in R.A. Puram has entered its last leg.
Workers are giving the finishing touch to the stormwater drain (SWD) network at the intersection of First Cross Street and Canal Bank Road to connect to Buckingham Canal.
This facility is expected to supplement an existing stormwater drain network — on Second Cross Road — which carries rainwater from stormwater drains in Boat Club area, Chamiers Road, Nandanam and R.A. Puram to the Buckingham Canal.
During the 2015 floods, rainwater from the stormwater drains in these areas did not flow effectively into the Canal, as it had not been de-silted. Also, the stormwater drains were only two-feet wide.
The stretch was flooded with knee-deep water, and it took days for the water to recede, say residents.
According to them, four years ago, when the stormwater drains were being constructed on the stretch, the work was stopped without the drains being connected to the canal at the intersection.
However, arrangements were made to divert rainwater to the canal through Seventh Main Road and Second Cross Road.
But, rainwater did not flow from one SWD to another due to varying heights between drains, leaving the stretch flooded.
“Constructing new stormwater drains is not enough; work to make the drains even should also be taken up at the earliest, as this alone will ensure rainwater flows well into the canal,” says R. Gopalan, a resident.
According to a Corporation official, the construction of stormwater drains linking it to Buckingham Canal, is in its final stages. The work will be completed at the earliest.
