TN government sets August deadline for SWD works in city ahead of monsoon

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has directed officials to fully complete all ongoing storm water drain (SWD) works across the city by August to ensure preparedness for the upcoming northeast monsoon.

Sources from the Greater Chennai Corporation said that Commissioner GS Sameeran had evaluated monsoon precautionary measures, including the desilting of canals and ponds, and the reconstruction of flood protection walls, alongside other key infrastructure projects.

Sameeran emphasised that special focus must be given to connecting missing links in the SWD network. He also ordered continuous desilting of over 1 lakh silt catch pits designed to block garbage and ensure the free flow of rainwater. “Continuous desilting operations must be carried out across all 44 major waterways in the city. Officials must clear blocks at crucial bottlenecks where SWD drains meet canals, and waterways discharge into the Adyar River, Cooum River, and Buckingham canal,” he added.