MADURAI: The Madurai Municipal Corporation has stepped up desilting and drainage maintenance works, besides keeping additional motor pumps ready to tackle water stagnation during heavy rain. Madurai district as such has been receiving sporadic rainfall for the past couple of days, which has caused severe waterlogging across the city.
Seventy-three low-lying hotspots have been identified across the city based on waterlogging reported over the past three years.
Waterlogging continues, especially tin the core and extension areas of the city, despite series of measures taken up by the city corporation,
M Prasanna, a resident of Ward 100, alleged that even a few minutes of rain causes open drains to overflow, with sewage breaching into houses.
We have to literally remove the sewage using buckets and vessels for hours during and after the rain. We have been complaining about the issue for years, but it remains unaddressed by the Corporation,” Prasanna said.
Echoing similar concern, M Sellapandian, an activist and resident from Sellur, said “The rainfall causes frequent clogging in decades-old UGD which leads to sewage overflow frequently. The corporation should take a series of steps to permanently address the issues.”
Corporation Commissioner Gaurav Kumar said the civic body was closely monitoring the identified vulnerable locations and carrying out regular maintenance to prevent flooding.
The Corporation has procured 10 mini-excavators in addition to five existing machines for repeated desilting of open drains. Two robotic excavators are also being deployed to desilt 13 canals across the city. One of the machines is being used to remove water hyacinth from the Vandiyur Canal.
Under the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), the Corporation has developed a dedicated application to monitor the underground sewage system (UGSS). Officials can use the system to track blockages and sewage overflow issues live, Kumar said.
The tender for road patchwork, which was delayed due to technical issues, is expected to be finalised this week. Additional motor pumps have also been kept ready to drain water from low-lying areas, he added.In Ward 100, where residents have repeatedly complained of sewage entering houses during rain, the Corporation has taken measures to clear the canals leading towards the Ayyan Pappakudi tank.
The silt removed from the Panthalkudi canal and currently kept at Sellur tank is proposed to be used to strengthen the bund of the Ayyan Pappakudi tank. Activists demanded action towards proper action to address such issues. Madurai received an average rainfall of 13 mm as of Sunday morning, according to the IMD.