Chennai Corporation Identifies 70km Storm Water Drain Missing Links
Chennai: In the wake of key arterial stretches having either dug up roads or abandoned storm water drain pits, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has identified about 70km of missing links in storm water drains across the city. GCC commissioner G S Sameeran has directed officials to complete these missing links—where two drains are not connected—before the onset of the northeast monsoon (NEM).
Approximately 70km of these works fall under GCC’s capital funds. The affected stretches are located in Anna Nagar, Kodambakkam, Royapettah, Adyar, and KK Nagar. Key areas include the second avenue in Anna Nagar, a 480m stretch on Jawaharlal Nehru High Road to Padi, and parts of New Avadi Road. On the 100-feet road, an ₹8.85 crore project has been stalled for an extended period.
In Ambattur, a ₹25-crore project involving the laying of 2.6km of stormwater drains connecting East Avenue Road via CTH Road and 200 Feet Road to the Otteri Nullah main canal has yet to progress. Similarly, in Madhavaram, a ₹22.88 crore drain work along Madhavaram–Redhills Main Road has been ordered to be expedited. This project includes constructing a 1,450m-long drain measuring 2m x 2m to divert stormwater from V.S. Mani Nagar through Madhavaram–Redhills Main Road, Balaji Nagar, and Krishna Nagar into the Puzhal surplus water canal, which will prevent inundation in Manjambakkam, Vadaperumbakkam, and Madhavaram areas.
GCC commissioner G S Sameeran said there is also a one-kilometer missing link stretch under the Kosasthalaiyar Basin storm water drain work, part of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) project. He added that under the KfW German-bank funded project for South Chennai, about 88km of drain works are pending on OMR and ECR.
“While we want to finish Capital Fund and ADB works before the NEM, about 25km out of the 88km in KfW work has been targeted for completion in South Chennai before the monsoon. For the entire project, the deadline is February 2027,” said Sameeran.
The commissioner noted that contractors are slowly returning post-elections. “We are asking them to speed up works,” he added. Additionally, GCC will begin desilting of 44 canals by July, along with desilting of silt catch pits.
