Stormwater drains will be desilted by September, says Chennai Corporation

Inadequate mechanisation remains a challenge

The civic body has seven machines for desilting stormwater drains.

The Greater Chennai Corporation will complete desilting of stormwater drains in Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam and Adyar bus routes using sucker and recycler machines by the end of September.

Residents in many areas have demanded the Corporation to fix defects in civic infrastructure before the onset of the northeast monsoon.

For instance, the civic issues in Padi Kuppam Road near Thirumangalam are yet to be resolved. Residents said they were worried about water logging when the northeast monsoon sets in. Issues in many such localities are yet to be fixed ahead of the monsoon, mostly owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown that ensued. As a result, monsoon preparedness in many areas were inadequate, residents complained.

Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash has directed the Regional Deputy Commissioners to get photographs of localities after the stormwater drains are desilted. Civic officials will complete work on 1,497 roads, taken up under the Chennai Mega City Development Mission (CMCDM) and Tamil Nadu Urban Road Infrastructure Fund (TURIF), before September.

Another 2,971 roads will also be completed before the onset of the monsoon.

The civic body has seven machines for desilting stormwater drains. Work is expected to be delayed because of the inadequate mechanisation in the Corporation. Manual labourers are expected to be employed for desilting the drain network. The civic body is studying the risk of infection for the workers who desilt polluted drains during the pandemic.

The civic body has also set a deadline of September 30 for completion of work on construction of toe wall and retaining wall in waterbodies in the city covered under Smart City Funding.

At least 72 waterbodies are expected to be restored before the onset of the monsoon. Work on many of the 210 waterbodies is under way with funding from other sources. However, many families evicted from the banks of waterbodies have not received allocation of new houses. Officials said the work on providing alternative accommodation for project affected families had been delayed owing to the pandemic.

“We will also provide alternative housing for residents evicted from the banks of the Villivakkam tank before the onset of the monsoon. Houses constructed by the TNSCB on the city outskirts will be allocated to them,” said an official.