Despite preparatory works, civic authorities admit to grey areas in need of checks
Chennai: Chennai metro water on Thursday announced that it was ready for the monsoon and said the board has taken adequate measures early to prevent water pollution during the rainy season.
However, informed civic authorities with both Chennai Corporation and Metro Water admit that there are grey areas that need to be addressed before the onset of monsoon.
Increasing number of concrete roads in TN cities and poorly designed storm water drains are the major reason for unchecked mosquito breeding and dengue deaths, said a senior corporation official.
“We need more wells to harvest water than storm water drains that choke during monsoon and in several parts of south Chennai particularly in Guindy, Ashok Nagar and Jafferkhanpet TNEB officials are now cutting roads to lay high tension cables and this would lead to water logging”, rued another corporation official blaming the electricity board for taking up road cut works in the month of October.
Meanwhile, Chennai Metro Water in a media statement said that the CMWSSB have taken meticulous measures to tackle the ensuing northeast monsoon.
As a precautionary measure the entire sewer system is being desilted by special preventive maintenance program by using the sewer cleaning equipment such as Jet Rodding machine (113 nos), Super sucker (43 nos), Jetting cum suction machine (30 nos) and Desilting machine (239 nos). All the damaged manhole covers are being identified and replaced, the release said.
Arrangements have been made to run sewage pumping stations continuously even during power failure using generators. Water quality is intensively monitored at all locations. The quality assurance wing has increased the number of sampling from 100 to 150 locations and bacteriological testing from 30 to 50 locations per day as a precautionary measure for the ensuing monsoon, the release said.
Residual chlorine test has been escalated from 2,000 samples per day to 3,000 samples per day. Adequate quantities of chemicals like Alum, Bleaching powder, Hypochlorite solution, Chlorine gas and Chlorine tablets are made available in all water treatment plants and distribution stations, the release said.
