Trichy corporation launches drain work in Cantonment area

TRICHY: Trichy corporation has launched stormwater drain redevelopment work in Cantonment area to prevent inundation during heavy rainfall. The surplus rainwater will be discharged into the Uyyakondan canal. The work was necessitated after the local body identified the water stagnation-prone areas in the recent summer showers that lashed the city for a week.
Officials said that water stagnation was found to be high on Bharathidasan Road – Reynolds Road intersection near the Cantonment police station and near the Mutharaiyar statue. Ambulances and other vehicles heading to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) and other private hospitals struggled to pass through the roads.
During a survey, the engineering department officials found that silt accumulation on drains and a narrow culvert were the chief reasons for the stagnation. With plastic and garden waste blocking the drains, rainwater overflowed on the adjacent roads, officials said. To solve this, the corporation has started construction work to remove a portion of damaged stormwater drains and rebuild them. The drain network between Cantonment police station and Uyyakondan canal near the MGR statue shall be redeveloped. A culvert in the stretch will be widened from 2 to 3 feet.
Similarly, the drain network on Bharathidasan Road covering corporation’s main office area will be reconstructed to ensure proper flow of runoff water. “Through the redevelopment work, we will divert the surplus rainwater from Reynolds Road, Heber Road and Bharathidasan Road to the Uyyakondan canal. Instead of stagnating the roads and causing traffic bottlenecks during monsoon, the runoff water will feed the canal,” an official source said. A sum of 20 lakh has been allotted to reconstruct the drains and culvert.