Cyclone Nivar: Chennai Corporation uses high-tech machines to avert flooding

CHENNAI: With Cyclone Nivar bringing heavy rainfall, the Chennai Corporation has adopted newer technologies to avert flooding and water stagnation.

The civic body also newly deployed a three-wheeled automated tree-cutter machine in several parts of the city. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami tweeted a video of the machine moving on a city road.

Apart from this, the Chief Minister also shared images of robotic machines fitted to mini-tractors to lift garbage, aquatic weed harvester to remove weeds from water bodies and amphibians used to remove silt from the canals.

"High tech machines are being used to remove water stagnation at the flood prone localities along the water channels such as Velachery, Adyar and Mambalam," Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami posted, tweeting the pictures. "Hats off to the staff working tirelessly," he lauded the civic body staff.

Corporation officials said that these machines were put to use throughout the night to make way for smooth flow of water.

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"We have deployed amphibians and robotics machines to remove silt in water bodies in almost all the zones. These machines were all working throughout the night with two officials present," a Corporation official said.

The robotic tractor was used at the Mambalam canal, while the Adyar Creek was being dredged using an amphibian.

Officials said that they had deployed 'Super Recyclers" which are fitted into huge tankers.

"They also have very broad pipes and more powerful motors unlike the normal sewage removal machines used in the city. Up to 12,000 litres of water can be sucked out in about 20 minutes with these machines," the official said, adding that in most of the broad roads, they use this machine and less manual work was involved.

The civic body has distributed six motorized tree-cutters in the city. "Three have been given to the central zone, two to the north zone and one to the south zone," the official said.

The machines were used in several areas such as Adyar, Nungambakkam and Ashok Nagar where many trees fell. A total of 52 trees had fallen down on Wednesday.