Chennai: Metrowater gears up for monsoon, plans to hire 50 more lorries

CHENNAI: Anticipating civic woes unique to monsoons, Metrowater has geared up for flood and sewage mitigation works by involving its men and machineries.
Besides activating a 24X7 mechanism to address complaints, the water board has planned to hire at least 50 lorries from districts such as Trichy and Coimbatore at an outlay of ₹1.43 crore. It already owns 537 lorries.
These lorries will be used to carry desilting machines, jetrodders and super-suckers.The board will also hire up to 50 higher horsepower pumps for Rs 15-17 crore. "We will supplement the Greater Chennai Corporation in flood response and address sewage block issues," Metrowater engineering director M Jaikar Jesudos told TOI.
During monsoon, the sewage generated in the city is usually two to even three times more than the usual quantity. So, the sewage pumping stations will run round-the- clock to pump out rainwater and sewage from flood-prone areas. Even if there are power cuts, diesel generators will be kept ready to run the pumping stations for constant water and sewage removal from the areas.
Water inflow for supply will also increase during the monsoon. So, they will stock up more chemicals such as alum, bleaching powder, lime, hypochlorite solution, chlorine gas and chlorine tablets to treat the water before distribution. Metrowater will also distribute tablets to low-income groups who have no piped water supply and depend only on street supply. Water quality assurance wing will test 600 water samples daily for residual chlorine, total dissolved solids and E coli.
If people are evacuated and taken to relief camps organised by GCC, Metrowater will supply drinking water to them, officials said.
Every Metrowater area office will have at least two engineers and workers, besides necessary machinery, for emergency response. They will also take complaints round-the-clock, even on holidays. The water board has asked residents to call 044-4567 4567 for assistance.
Residents welcomed the pre-monsoon preparations, as the flood-time woes of 2022 still remain fresh in their memory.
C Raghukumar of Perambur said sewage overflow was recurring during northeast monsoons on Perambur High Road due to inadequate capacity of sewer pipeline and sewage pumping station.
"KK Nagar has sewage overflow hotspots in many areas. Every year, 10th Sector witnesses sewage mixing with drinking water. Also, sewage overflows and stagnates on roads," said NB Babu, a resident and activist.