Highways Department to deploy pumps to 54 flood-prone spots on roads across Chennai

The Highways Department has identified 54 susceptible locations connected roads, which were flooded during past year’s Northeast monsoon. “We person arranged for 54 motorable pumps connected tractors to beryllium placed astatine these spots to forestall flooding during dense rain,” said an official.

These points get flooded since they are usually little than the mean oversea level oregon adjacent areas, and determination isn’t immoderate earthy gradient allowing for the h2o to drain owed to gravity. “In our parlance, we telephone specified locations ‘saucers’. We bash not person a prime but to pump retired the h2o to adjacent places wherever the travel is natural. Storm-water drains (SWDs) volition not enactment successful saucers, and if constructed, determination volition beryllium backflow of water. Places specified arsenic Tiruvottiyur, Kolathur, and Ellis Road person specified saucers,” a erstwhile Highways technologist said.

For 1 peculiar determination connected Inner Ring Road successful Kolathur, centrifugal pumps person been permanently kept connected either broadside of the agelong to pump retired water.

The section has storm-water drains moving to a magnitude of 624 km wrong the metropolis limits. “We are successful the process of desilting them. The choke pits are besides being cleaned, and the covers that person been breached oregon request replacement are being taken attraction of,” a root said. Subways nether the power of the Highways Department excessively are being perpetually watched to support them motorable during rain.

As acold arsenic missing links successful the SWD web are concerned, the section has astir completed the operation of 1 specified SWD adjacent Periyar Padhai. “Of the 500 m that remained, we person completed 420 m. The operation took clip since determination were conscionable excessively galore sewage outlets and powerfulness cables that had to beryllium shifted. This portion of enactment took coordination from the different enactment departments,” said different engineer.