Chennai Metrowater has desilted 9.6km of sewer lines and 433 manholes across 227 Greater Chennai Corporation streets as the civic water utility strengthens sewage, water-quality and treatment-plant preparedness, according to a Times of India report published on Monday.
The work was carried out using 218 machines across the identified streets. Metrowater is also monitoring sewage pumping levels around the clock through an Internet of Things-based system. When pumping levels fall after rainfall, officials identify the affected stretch and deploy workers to clear blockages, the report said.
The monitoring system is intended to help the utility respond to disruptions in the sewer network by identifying changes in pumping levels rather than waiting only for complaints from residents. The report did not specify the number of blockages detected through the system or provide a separate timeline for completing desilting in other streets.
Metrowater has added 29 sewage suction vehicles hired from other districts to its existing fleet of 580 machines and 173 contract-operated jetting-cum-grabbing vehicles. These vehicles are being positioned to support the removal of silt and obstructions from the sewage system when rainfall affects network operations.
The utility has also kept generators and fuel ready to maintain operations at eight water treatment plants, 143 water distribution stations, 22 sewage treatment plants and 438 sewage pumping stations. These facilities form the operational network through which Chennai’s drinking water supply and sewage services are treated, distributed and moved across the city.
Alongside sewage preparedness, Metrowater has doubled its daily drinking-water quality testing from 900 to 1,800 samples. The testing is being carried out across all 15 Greater Chennai Corporation zones, increasing the frequency of checks on water supplied to residents.
The measures highlight the scale of the systems that must continue operating during and after heavy rainfall. Sewer desilting addresses blockages within the underground network, while standby power and fuel are intended to reduce the risk of interruptions at treatment, distribution and pumping facilities. The report did not state whether the additional equipment and vehicles would remain deployed for a fixed period.
Residents can report drinking-water supply and sewage-related complaints through Metrowater’s 1916 helpline. The utility’s response will depend on information from the monitoring system, field teams and complaints received from affected locations, according to the operational details reported by the Times of India.
