Silt removed from SWDs piles up on street in Porur
Residents pointed out that the silt from the gunny bags flow back into the existing SWD and block the flow of rainwater, thereby defeating all the desilting efforts.
Vehicles go over the gunny bags full of silt stacked along the street
CHENNAI: While it’s heartening to see the city Corporation intensifying the desilting works across the city for the northeast monsoon, the silt removed from the storm water drains has been packed in gunny bags, and stacked at a street corner in Porur, and not removed for over a month.
Residents pointed out that the silt from the gunny bags flow back into the existing SWD and block the flow of rainwater, thereby defeating all the desilting efforts.
Workers have forgotten to remove the stacked silt near the drains, which ends up flowing back into the SWDs whenever there are mild spells. “The debris and silt in SWDs have been stacked into bundles for more than a month. I’ve informed the zonal officer about it too. It’s not the first time. The same problem existed during the previous monsoon season. Every time after the debris is stacked, vehicles end up moving over it. This opens up the gunny bag, and everything ends up back in the drains. This has become a routine,” lamented A Fazil, a resident and civic activist at Porur.
A similar situation exists in several areas of Valasaravakkam (Zone 11) including Mahalakshmi Nagar and Ramapuram. Residents and commuters fumed over the money, time and resources wasted in desilting the SWDs and silt catch pits.
“Why don’t they immediately dispose of the waste and carry out proper cleaning? Workers might wait until the removed silt is dry, but they should clean the bundled waste within two days itself. The authorities must address the issue immediately before the next monsoon spell hits the city,” pointed out G Udhayaraj, a resident of Ramapuram.
When contacted, a senior official with Valasaravakkam zone ensured to take action to remove the silt at the earliest.