Chennai Corporation to complete 1,152 km SWD desilting by Oct 10, says Minister KN Nehru
Ahead of the northeast monsoon, the civic body has so far completed desilting 792 km of drains across the city and it has been intensified.
Storm Water Drain (SWD) desilting has been carried out in the city
CHENNAI: The desilting works of 1,152 km storm water drain (SWDs) is being carried out in the city, and expected to be completed by October 10, said Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru on Friday. Ahead of the northeast monsoon, the civic body has completed desilting of 792 km of SWD.
The minister said that the monsoon preparatory works had been intensified in the city for which, 792 km of SWDs have been desilted.
“Also, out of the total 1.09 lakh silt-catch pits, silt has been removed in 73,180 pits so far. The remaining will be cleaned within the stipulated time. We’ve been using 12 excavators to remove water hyacinth in city’s waterbodies to prevent water-logging during the monsoon,” he added.
As many as 990 motor pumps of various capacities are on standby to drain stagnated rainwater in low-lying areas. Additionally, 162 relief centres are ready, and 280 tree-cutting machines are prepared to remove fallen trees and branches. In public kitchens at Chintadripet and Gopalapuram, groceries have been kept ready to prepare meal packets for 1,500 people per hour.
“Officials have identified areas that are prone to water-logging, as evidenced by the recent rains, and steps have been taken to identify the cause. In the past two days, the monitoring officials for 15 zones have inspected the ongoing pre-monsoon works. We’ve ensured that the Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC) functions 24/7 to attend to public complaints. The centre response time will be intensified during the monsoon season,” elaborated the Minister.
Nehru also distributed 100 hand-operated fogging machines, valued at Rs 67 lakh, to the workers to eradicate mosquitoes in the city. “To combat mosquito-borne diseases, at least 3,368 field workers are actively engaged. A range of equipment is being used for mosquito control, including 319 fogging machines, 54 power sprayers, 156 battery-operated sprayers, 324 hand-operated fogging machines, 64 vehicle-mounted fogging machines, and drones,” he stated.
