SPARK, a civic forum, has requested the Greater Chennai Corporation to de-silt the stormwater drains and sediment pits connecting them.
The forum’s founder T.D. Babu says, “In most of Adyar and its neighbourhoods, the sediment pits have not been de-silted. The trash in these pits prevents free flow of rainwater entering the stormwater drains and inundate the roads instead.”
S. Poornima, a resident of Kottivakkam complains that old roads are not milled before laying a new one. “This not only covers the sediment pits but also increases surface of the road and ultimately the frontage area of properties goes below the road level. Also, the height between two roads at an intersection varies, resulting in the creation of a slope street,” she says. During monsoon, the water inundates the slope streets and homes. At some places, the sediment pits have been kept open, she adds.
Under the Smart City Mission, through Bus Route Road Department (BRRD), the GCC is replacing the sturdy and intact walkers path and paving slabs (border) with concrete pavements and slim concrete blocks, which are not sturdy. The height of the pavements has been increased proportional to the raised level of the road, which has led to installing vent pipes above the storm water drains, which will drain the water into the drain from it’s roof opening.
Rather than de-silting the drains and the sediment pits, the GCC has constructed open ducts along the pavements cementing the open earth space, blocking percolation and facilitating sedimentation and litter entry into the drains, Babu says.
The draining points are kept open without any filtering system, which may result in trash clogging the drains and rainwater flooding the streets during monsoon, he points out.
On the other side of the road where there are no stormwater drains, the pavements should not be concretised. Instead, interlocking blocks that would increase the chance of percolation should be laid. In addition, percolation pits or wells between the pavements and the road should be constructed to recharge the groundwater level and prevent water stagnation on roads.
Efforts to contact the authorities concerned in the Corporation proved futile.
