Chennai’s flood control preparations have expanded ahead of the Northeast Monsoon, with the Greater Chennai Corporation installing 100-horsepower high-capacity motor pumps at 45 locations identified as highly vulnerable to flooding, Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran said on Wednesday.
The pumps are intended to drain floodwater from priority locations during heavy rainfall. The civic body has kept 150 high-capacity 100-HP pumps and 500 tractor-operated motor pumps ready for deployment, in addition to 670 electric and diesel-powered pumps of different capacities.
The Corporation has begun with the first 45 priority locations and plans to install 70 per cent of the pumps by October 15. The announcement places pumping capacity at the centre of the city’s immediate flood response, particularly in areas where accumulated rainwater can disrupt roads, access and local services.
The civic body has also allocated Rs 100 crore for a wider set of monsoon-related measures. The funds will cover desilting drains, removing water hyacinth from water bodies, road maintenance, preparing relief camps and establishing community kitchens.
Drain desilting and the removal of water hyacinth are part of the Corporation’s preparations to improve the movement of stormwater and maintain the functioning of water bodies during the monsoon. Road maintenance and the preparation of relief camps are intended to support operations beyond water removal, including access and emergency assistance in affected areas.
Vehicles and machinery earmarked for monsoon operations have been tested twice across all 15 Corporation zones on a ward-wise basis, the Commissioner said. The testing is designed to ensure that equipment is ready for deployment when heavy rains require coordinated action across multiple parts of the city.
The scale of the equipment inventory reflects the operational challenge faced by a large metropolitan corporation during intense rainfall. Different pump capacities and vehicle-based equipment allow the civic body to respond across locations with varying levels of water accumulation, while ward-wise testing provides an administrative framework for deployment.
The Corporation’s preparations combine fixed high-capacity pumps at priority sites with mobile tractor-operated, electric and diesel-powered units. The next stated milestone is the installation of 70 per cent of the pumps by October 15, ahead of the Northeast Monsoon.
