MADURAI: With another monsoon season bringing heavy rains to the district, water stagnation is being reported in many areas in the city. The corporation is using pumps to drain out the water, but residents say more proactive measures are needed to ward off the spread of infectious diseases and solve commuting issues in low-lying areas.
Officials from the civic body said they took steps to desilt the canal in ward 60 and patch up road potholes in Sathiyasai Nagar on Monday. "A special tender has been floated to hire earth movers for works in stagnation-prone areas in zone 1 at the cost of `3.58 lakh, and another tender worth Rs 1.85 lakh was floated for removing silt and sand from the stormwater drain in ward 13. Damaged pump motors are also being repaired," they added.
Ward 64 councillor Solai M Raja said, "The corporation has not properly desilted the stormwater drains. We need a permanent solution for draining all the rainwater into nearby waterbodies, or an enhanced rainwater harvesting system so that the groundwater table get recharged."
A resident urged the officials to urgently take measures to clear waterlogging from vacant plots in the city as it is contributing hugely towards mosquito breeding.