Most of the stormwater drain work taken up by the Chennai Corporation has been completed or nearing completion this year, said Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi on October 24.  He was speaking at a press conference in Ripon building in Chennai. The Chennai Corporation Commissioner’s statement comes at a time when the Northeast monsoon is expected to arrive in the state in a few days. It also comes a day after a 23-year-old journalist Muthukrishnan died after falling into an unfinished stormwater drain in Jafferkhanpet.

Following severe flooding in several parts of the city during the Northeast monsoon season in 2021, the Tamil Nadu government had initiated many projects at the same time to mitigate the flooding and inundation. The stormwater drain network is one among the many works that are being carried out in many parts of the city.

The projects are almost completed or about to be completed and all the works are being monitored day by day, Gangandeep said. “Seethammal Colony, Thiyagaraya Nagar, Bazullah Road, GN Chetty Road, Ashok Nagar, Arcot Road,  Rangaraja Puram, Mambalam, Virugambakkam, Ambedkar College Road in North Chennai and Pulianthope are some areas where the flooding occurred. Stormwater drain works are being conducted in those areas and in many parts of these areas the works are almost completed,” he said during the press meet.  The Commissioner said more than 964 km of stormwater drainage is being constructed by the Chennai Corporation this year and in the core city area, construction work of nearly 224 km of drainage at the cost of Rs. 728 crore is being carried out.

According to the Chennai Corporation Commissioner, not all the projects are scheduled to be completed within a six-month period. Some projects are expected to be completed in the next couple of years. "Along with the stormwater drain network by the Chennai Corporation, there are many long term projects happening in the city. It is expected to be completed in the next two or three years,” the Chennai Commissioner said, pointing to the Kosasthalaiyar river and Kovalam river projects.

Gagandeep also said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has asked that long term projects be stopped until the Northeast monsoon has withdrawn, observing that incomplete projects would cause hardship to residents while it rained.

He said desilting of waterways was being carried out by the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department as it is very important to have free water flow in the Buckingham canal, Otteri Nullah, Veerangal Odai, Virugambakkam canal to ensure the stormwater drain functions efficiently. The Tamil Nadu government allocated Rs. 20 crore for the desilting works in the core city.

There has been criticism that the stormwater construction work is being hastily carried out without any safety measures being followed. Residents voiced concern over the manner in which construction was taking place after  a Chennai-based journalist, Muthukrishnan, died after he fell into the trench that was dug up for the drainage work on October 22. He was lying inside the trench for hours before he got help from the city police. Later, he was admitted to the Government Royapettah Hospital, where he succumbed to injuries. Last week, MG Dawood Miakhan, who is the General Secretary of the Quaide Milleth Educational and Social Trust, sustained serious injuries after falling into a trench at Kasturi Rangan Road. He suffered multiple fractures to his right hand and a head injury.