Corpn. begins work on stormwater drain in flood-prone Kargil Nagar

Project is being executed at a cost of ₹142 crore

The Chennai Corporation has started building an integrated stormwater drain (SWD) to prevent flooding in one of the most neglected parts of north Chennai — Kargil Nagar in Tiruvottiyur.

Kargil Nagar is populated with low-income groups, and has been suffering due to poor civic infrastructure on all fronts, especially when it comes to dealing with rainwater stagnation. Its residents faced severe hardship during the December 2015 deluge, and were forced to vacate their houses for more than a month.

As part of a flood mitigation project, the civic body included Kargil Nagar in the construction of a drain network.

A senior Corporation official said the integrated SWD was being built in Kargil Nagar at a cost of ₹142 crore. The 32.66-km project, once completed, would help find a solution to water stagnation, he added.

The civic body is planning to construct SWDs in all the streets and link the drain network to the Buckingham Canal. However, as this locality is on a lower level than the Buckingham Canal, the civic body would be commissioning a shutter and a heavy-duty motor to pump out the water.

The topography of Kargil Nagar was low when compared to the Buckingham Canal, to which the drain network would be linked. To prevent reverse flow from the Buckingham Canal in case of heavy rain, the civic body would close the shutter in the collecting point of the SWD and pump the rainwater into the canal using a 240-horsepower motor, the official said.

The Corporation is building the integrated SWD in Kargil Nagar as part of the Kosasthalaiyar basin project, and would complete the work in 36 months.

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