Chennai: Three culverts, costing Rs 1.67 crore, are being constructed at different locations on the Tambaram-Velacheri Main Road in Chennai.
According to sources, work on the new facilities is under way near the Selaiyur Police Station, Mahalakshmi Nagar signal and near a neighbourhood nursing home.
“The project has been taken up as part of the flood mitigation scheme. All these three points are low-lying areas and are prone to water stagnation even after small bouts of rains. The entire stretch becomes non-commutable during the monsoon season. This also results in flooding of the nearby localities. The new culverts are being constructed as the existing passages are either encroached or small in size,” said sources.
The culvert, being constructed near the police station, will carry excess water from the Selaiyur lake. The overflow at this junction is one of the major contributors to flooding at Chitlapakkam, it is learnt.
This will be connected to the stormwater drains in the locality which will carry the water to the Sembakkam lake.
During the 2015 December floods, water from the Selaiyur lake engulfed the entire Tambaram-Velacheri stretch near Selaiyur police station. Several residents were stranded and were unable to reach the other side of the road.
Similarly, the culvert being constructed at Mahalakshmi Nagar and opposite the nursing home, will carry excess water from Rajakilpakkam lake to Sembakkam lake.
The work has been taken up by the Highways Department after consultations with the Tambaram and Sembakkam municipalities and the public. Sources said the project is expected to be completed by July.