WRD aims to complete pre-monsoon works by Sept 15

CHENNAI: The ongoing pre-monsoonflood mitigation works undertaken across Chennai and its neighbouring districts are expedited for completion by September 15, ahead of the northeast monsoon.

The Water Resources Department (WRD) has been tasked with executing 195 projects under a Rs 38 crore allocation by the state government.

On Saturday, WRD Secretary J Jayakanthan, IAS, inspected ongoing works alongside senior engineers and officials.

The team also reviewed progress on a proposed Integrated Control Centre, which will house satellite-based monitoring systems and equipment for coordinated flood management and real-time waterbody surveillance during the monsoon season.

Of the 195 projects, 78 works are under way across 15 zones within the Chennai Metropolitan Area, while 117 works are progressing in the suburbs, and Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Chengalpattu.

The works include desilting and debris removal in key waterways such as the Buckingham Canal (19 works), Cooum River (19), and Adyar River (5), along with 35 additional works targeting clogged drains, surplus channels, lakes and low-lying areas.

Water hyacinth, floating plastic, and solid waste are being cleared using 234 floating excavators and supporting lorry fleets. Desilting of sandbars at river mouths, including Muttukadu, Pudupattinam, Ennore, Pulicat, and the Cooum and Adyar estuaries, is also in progress.