Chennai: Stormwater drains to get yellow paint again

Chennai: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), which started painting yellow colour on many stormwater Drain (SWD) structures to identify them during heavy rains for clearing blocks, on a pilot basis, has left the work halfway through.

However, officials maintain that they will take necessary steps to make such move effective. Sources said that Chennai experienced torrential rains and subsequent floods in December 2015 and lack of stormwater drainage and sewage systems were mainly factored for causing floods. Such issue prompted stakeholders like GCC, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board (CMWSSB), State Highways and Public Works Department (PWD) to huddle two years ago for finding out the reasons for floods.

"Since stormwater structures in the city are often getting choked during heavy rains, most areas are flooded. So, the GCC formulated a novel mechanism, in which the officials had decided to paint yellow colour on the stormwater structure on a pilot basis in North Chennai," said an official, GCC.

Based on the response, the officials decided to expand such mechanism to other areas, however later on, the officials failed to turn their attention on the expansion, added the official.

Meanwhile, residents said that such plan will not work. "I saw yellow colour at a sizable number of stormwater points one and half years ago, but everything disappeared now. The officials concerned should sense the fact that the city roads are under thick sheet of water and many areas become water-logged even for short and heavy spell of rains and under such circumstances, corporation workers will find it difficult to identify the colour," said K Bala, a resident of New Washermenpet, where the GCC started works in 2016.

When contacted, a GCC senior official, preferring anonymity, maintained that they would continue the pilot project and painting works will continue. "After 2015-flood, city has not recorded heavy rains and we will closely monitor whether such move (painting) works during rainy days, after which we can decide further course of action," the official said. 

When asked, inundation would hide such colour during rains, the official's terse reply was "let us not come to any conclusion now."