Residents in at least some parts of the city will breathe easy when the north-east monsoon strikes the city, thanks to the stormwater drain project executed by the Chennai Corporation.
A senior official of the Corporation said the civic body has completed the integrated stormwater drain (ISWD) project in areas located along the Adyar and Cooum basins with funds extended by the World Bank.
The official said the first phase involved construction of stormwater drain facilities for a length of around 400 km at a cost of ₹1,250 crore. The civic body executed the integrated stormwater drain work in four packages covering Ambattur, Valasaravakkam and Alandur zones.
He said stormwater drain work had been carried out in several areas of Nerkundram, Maduravoyal, Valasaravakkam, Virugambakkam, and Alwarthirunagar, in Valasaravakkam zone and Sidco Industrial Estate in Ambattur zone. A resident of Balaji Nagar, Alwarthirunagar, said the lack of a stormwater drain facility in Division 148 left all the streets submerged for more than 10 days in the December 2015 floods. The official said that with almost 99% of the work completed in the Adyar-Cooum basin, more than seven lakh people living in these areas would benefit.