VILLUPURAM: For a large municipality that is Villupuram, it has only two sanitary inspectors against a sanctioned strength of seven. But, until date, the shortage of hands was not a major problem.
N Thinnairamoorthy and E Ramanan managed to ensure the job is done without major hassles or complaints. But, last week was not like any other.
A major storm was brewing, bringing with it copious rainfall, waterlogging, and the possibility of disease outbreaks.
The spread of Covid, which seems to be abating, was looming large as people were brought to relief camps across the State.
“We received information about Nivar last Monday,” recalls Thinnairamoorthy.
“We had to plan several things -- removal of trees, wet garbage, sludge overflowing from drains, and solid waste disposal.
We were already in the process of undertaking a clean-up operation as the northeast monsoon is upon us, but the cyclone was a bolt out of the blue. We did not have much time at hand,” says Thinnairamoorthy. There were just two of them and a good five kilometres to cover.
“We had to work without rest, without sleep for three full days,” says Ramanan.
“We had to coordinate workers for all divisions within the municipal limits, check on their availability, and arrange protective gears for them. A lot of paperwork was involved.”
To get things effectively organised, the duo decided to divide and conquer. Ramanan was to take care of the first two kilometres and Thinnairamoorthy the outer three kilometres.
“We hit the ground in person. Sanitation inspectors in our neighbouring districts were equally helpful in sharing the workload. We had to ensure that two major river channels –Koliyanur channel and Periyavaikal – had to be kept clear of any blockages. If not, the water would enter residential areas,” says Ramanan.
The focus on Thursday, however, was not on clearing fallen trees. It was on quickly disinfecting the thickly-populated and low-lying areas.
Over 600 workers, including 160 from Madurai and Tirunelveli corporations, were deployed for sweeping roads, spraying/dispersing chlorine powders in all the areas within Villupuram town limits. Water was chlorinated to prevent disease outbreak.
“A brilliant team of supervisors and ground workers made sure the work was done, along with us,” says Ramanan.
When the sun finally returned to the skies, shining bright, the duo returned home to catch a break.