Chennai undergoes massive sewer cleaning operation

Metrowater has launched a massive sewer cleaning programme across Chennai, involving 258 de-silting machines, 142 jet rodding devices and 54 super suckers. The programme, to be operational on 801 streets in 15 zones of Greater Chennai Corporation limits over 10 days, is part of preparing the city to be free of waterlogging or sewage overflow during rainy days, say Metrowater officials.

A senior Metrowater official said that during last year’s bountiful northeast monsoon, all the rainwater stagnant on the roads was let out into manholes and because existing lines could not take the excess, sewage overflowed onto roads. The latest programme is part of the effort to rid the city of the problem, he said.

Metrowater had already identified streets along which sewer lines overflew, terming them ‘Chronic Sewer Streets’.

The agency’s area I, Thiruvottiyur, has 75 such streets, Manali has 18 streets, while Adyar has 130, the most among the 15 areas. Perungudi has 11 such streets, the least, while Anna Nagar and Sholinganallur have 20 each.

Another official said Perungudi has 4,000 sewer connections that were issued last year and Metrowater during the last monsoon carried out a lot of rectification on most of these new connections. This, he said, helped bring down the number of chronic sewer streets in the area.

The cleaning programme is not only meant for problem streets, but for all the roads and streets in each area through which the sewer lines pass, added the official.

It is during the northeast monsoon, which accounts for more than 60% of the city’s annual rainfall, that most of the sewer-related problems occur.