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Urban Planning

Stormwater drain work to begin soon

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The Hindu        10.12.2018 

Stormwater drain work to begin soon

Flood mitigation:The project was delayed for many years owing to paucity of funds.File photoM_Karunakaran

Flood mitigation:The project was delayed for many years owing to paucity of funds.File photoM_Karunakaran  

The Rs. 270 crore project will cover 52.5 km of drains along the East Coast Road

Chennai Corporation will kick-start work on stormwater drains in the neighbourhoods along the East Coast Road in the southern zones of the city. The work will cover 52.5 km of stormwater drains at an estimated cost of Rs. 270 crore in areas, including Palavakkam, Neelankarai and Uthandi. The project was delayed for many years owing to paucity of funds.

Sanction given

Speaking at a press conference, Corporation Commissioner D. Karthikeyan said the government had given administrative sanction for the project. The Chennai Corporation is yet to get funding for other areas of Kovalam basin, such as Sholinganallur and Perungudi along Rajiv Gandhi Salai and the ecologically sensitive Pallikaranai Marshland.

Chennai Corporation will float bids shortly. The project has 27 outfalls, 127 roads and 318 nodes.

Water stagnation in Sunrise Avenue, Maharashtra Bank on ECR, Bata Showroom on ECR, Sixth Avenue Modern Layout on ECR, Kottivakkam-Kuppam beach road junction, Kuppam Beach Road, Panaiyur Kuppam, Sea Cliff, Chinandimadam and Lakshmana Perumal Nagar will be reduced after the completion of the project.

In the first phase, around 405 km of stormwater drains have been constructed in zones of Ambattur, Valasaravakkam and Alandur in the basins of Adyar River and Cooum River. Work on stormwater drains in Kosasthalaiyar basin will be taken up after funding from Asian Development Bank, he said.

During the northeast monsoon in 2015, the Chennai Corporation collected data on water stagnation in many locations. The civic body has developed new drains in 33 such locations.

Delays in funding

However, the delay in getting funding from multilateral agencies has affected monsoon preparedness of the city. Chennai Corporation has desilted 1498 km of drains at an estimated cost of Rs. 21 crore. Of the 210 waterbodies identified for restoration, 30 waterbodies have been restored using CSR funding.

As many as 50 ponds are being restored using smart city funds.“We have resettled 13,923 families along waterways,” said Mr.Karthikeyan. The carrying capacity of 30 canals has been increased by more than three times by using amphibian vehicles and robotic excavators.