CHENNAI: Ahead of the northeast monsoon, expected to hit the city on Saturday, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has intensified its measures to avert mishaps, and will launch campaigns instructing civilians not to open manholes.
A senior CMWSSB official told TNIE the city has 313 sewage pumping stations (SPS) and 12 treatment plants with enough staff to handle any exigency. Superintending and executive engineers have been assigned to all zones and will also aid in monsoon- related work.
The pumping stations have extra motors and officials to ensure rainwater doesn’t mix with sewage. “To prevent diseases caused by water pollution and add chlorine to drinking water, we have procured 1 lakh kg of bleaching powder,” highlighted another official. The stations in low-lying areas and near primary canals such as Cooum, Adyar, and Buckingham, have sandbags to prevent rainwater overflow, the official added.