CHENNAI: As the city braces for the arrival of the Northeast monsoon, residents, motorists in particular, are fearing the worst due to the incomplete stormwater drain work at many places. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) maintains 2,624 km of stormwater drain. Following heavy inundation in 2021, the GCC launched an integrated plan to unclog existing drains and construct new ones.
In the extended areas, drain works are being carried out under the Kosasthalaiyar basin and Kovalam basin projects for 931 km at Rs 3,917 crore and in the core city areas, work is being carried out for 66 km at Rs 246 crore. The deadline for completion of work was September 15, which was later extended to October 30. GCC officials said the deadline was extended as the city received more than 60 days of rainfall since the onset of the Southwest monsoon and this led to the delay.
The officials said 90% of pre-monsoon work has been completed and out of the 66 km of drain work in core areas, work on 56 km is complete. However, residents allege that linkage has not been completed in many places. Near the Vijayanagar Bus terminus in Velachery, drains are not linked and the pits are not barricaded properly, they said. “Corporation finished work but stopped short of linking it. The pit is not even barricaded properly, “ said Jeeva K, a vendor from Velachery.
Meanwhile, near Prakasam Salai Junction in Broadway linking work is being carried at a slow pace, drains are not properly closed and steel rods can be seen protruding near the inlets. Among the major roads, SWD work is still ongoing near Ekkaduthangal metro station. It takes more than 10 minutes to cross the Ekkaduthangal junction due to ongoing work.
A lack of linkages can be spotted in a few pockets of Velachery, Kilpauk, Vadapalani and KK Nagar. In Kilpauk, work is complete in some areas, but they started work near Kilpauk Garden Road only recently, said T Jose Benjamin, a resident of Kilpauk. In addition to the construction of new drains, cleaning the silt catch pits is another major exercise being undertaken before the monsoon. More than 90% of silt catch pits are cleared, according to the corporation. However, residents allege that silt catch pits are not cleared in interior and low-lying areas. “Inlets are covered with tar toppings at some places. They should be replaced with strong metal lids,” said S Ganapathy, a civic activist from Valasaravakkam.
Activists are not sure that the data provided by the officials is accurate. Activist Jayaram Venkatesan said, “Corporation should provide clear numbers of completed and pending works. Without linkages, the drains won’t function properly.” G S Sameeran, the joint commissioner for works, GCC, told TNIE, “Prolonged rains are a major reason for the delay in work. Pending works will be completed before monsoon and quality of works is being monitored through third-party inspection. Any lapses raised by the public will be fixed immediately.”
Work in progress
Kosasthalaiyar Basin
Executable length: 676.20 km,
Completed: 520.65 km,
Kovalam Basin
Executable length: 162.86 km,
Completed: 75.87 km
Core areas
Executable length: 66.13 km,
Completed: 55.92 km
Desilting and minor repairs:
Executable length: 1,501 km,
Completed: 1,443 km
Meet on monsoon preparedness
Chief Secretary Shivdas Meena on Friday chaired a meeting to discuss road projects, monsoon preparedness, and drain works. Road cutting and restoration work has been completed on 1,670 roads, with an additional 294 temporarily restored within the corporation area, according to a press release. The chief secretary urged officials to complete pending works within the deadline. He also directed the concerned officials to ease traffic congestion in Manali.