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The Chennai Corporation is likely to construct a stormwater drain network, totalling nearly 1,055 km, in the eight added zones as part of the measures to prevent water-logging.

The network, which will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 3000 crore, will cover four basins of Kosasthalaiyar, Adyar, Cooum and Kovalam. Kosasthalaiyar basin will be divided into watersheds covering zones such as Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram and parts of Ambattur. Adyar basin will cover zones of Valasaravakkam and Alandur. Stormwater drain network in watersheds of Cooum basin will prevent water logging in parts of Ambattur zone and Valasaravakkam. New stormwater drain proposals in Kovalam basin will benefit Sholinganallur and Perungudi zones.30TH_STORM_1193417e.jpg

The consultant has completed work on final draft of the detailed project report. The civic body has asked residents’ associations of the eight added zones to suggest measures towards any changes in the draft. After taking the suggestions of residents into consideration, the civic body is likely to finalise the detailed project report by September 20. The consultant made a presentation on the project in the presence of senior officials and residents of Chennai Corporation on Tuesday. The list of water-logged stretches in the zones to be covered under the project will be finalised in a few days based on the suggestions.

The government will make a decision pertaining to funding options soon. Areas with severe water-logging are likely to receive priority in implementation of the project.

Construction of many stretches of the 505-km stormwater drains under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) is under way in remaining seven zones of Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru-Vi-Ka-Nagar, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam and Adyar.

According to a study by the civic body, a chunk of the 2,752-km roads in the newly-added zones have water logging as the existing stormwater drains cover a length of 682.4 km only. The proposed design of new drains in the merged areas will integrate the existing drains.

Among the eight zones, Ambattur has the largest network of stormwater drains with a total length of 177.95 km. Zones such as Tiruvottiyur have very poor stormwater drain network.

Many of the erstwhile town panchayats such as Sholinganallur, Injambakkam, Semmencheri and Uthandi, which have been merged with the Chennai Corporation, had constructed not more than one km of stormwater drain before the merger.

The civic body will focus more on such areas.

Areas covered by erstwhile panchayats such as Neelangarai, Okkiyam Thoraipakkam, Sadayankuppam, Kadapakkam, Theeyamabkkam, Vadaperumbakkam, Surapattu, Kathirvadu and Puthagaram continue to have undeveloped stormwater network even after the merger.

The civic body is likely to use precast technology for the drain project.

Credit: The Hindu