Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Corporation drawing up flood prevention plan

– Photo: M. Periasamy

WHAT A MESS!: A storm water drain choked with garbage and plastics waste on Goods Shed Road in the city. The Corporation plans to desilt canals before the onset of monsoon.

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation is planning measures to prevent flooding of the city’s roads and residential colonies during monsoon. Removal of silt from storm water drains and water ways, quick response to complaints of water stagnation and round-the-clock monitoring of the situation during heavy rain are some of the measures.

With the prediction that the South West Monsoon may set in early this time, officials in the Corporation have already held a meeting to discuss ways to prevent flooding. More planning will be done and measures taken before the monsoon sets in, according to Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra.

“The officials have prepared a list of areas where silt has to be removed from canals. The removal of silt is vital to preventing stagnation. Mostly, stagnation in the drainage results in sewage overflowing from the canal and mixing with rain water,” he says.

The Corporation removed silt and garbage from the storm water drain along Brooke Bond Road before the elections.

Work in other parts of the city will resume soon as they had been halted by the election.

“Clogging of drains is the major problem. The practice of dumping all kinds of waste into the drains must stop. People should realise that by dumping plastics waste into the drainage or canals, they are only inflicting harm on themselves. The impact of this practice is on them during rain,” he points out. The canal along Goods Shed Road is choked with garbage.

The Commissioner says some amount of awareness creation will have to be done in order to prevent people from resorting to such indiscriminate dumping. “They need to know of the consequences,” he says.

On other measures, Mr. Mishra feels that there is no need for any elaborate flood prevention measures. The city is not completely vulnerable to flooding. There is heavy stagnation only in some pockets and steps will be taken to tackle this. In many other areas, water drains gradually.

Every year, the Corporation faces flak from the public when water stagnates at the underpasses near Kikani School, on Big Bazaar Street and the one on the Somasundara Mill Road.

For the last three to four years, there has been no complaint on the Sivananda Colony underpass as it had been re-laid. Efforts are on to prevent water and sewage stagnation at the underpass on Somasundara Mill Road. But, the underpass near Kikani school remains a concern.

The Commissioner said a 24-hour cell will be established at the Corporation to respond to calls for help from the public, especially at night. The staff of the civic body will be put on shift.

Contact numbers will be provided to the public sometime later.

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