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.