Residents of areas vulnerable to frequent sewer overflow in the city can heave a sigh of relief soon. Chennai Metro Water would soon equip its pumping stations with generators to avoid frequent power outage that cause reverse flow of sewage, sometimes percolating even into domestic lavatories.

CMWSSB (Chennai metropolitan water supply and sewerage board) has given the go ahead to buy generators for sewage pumping stations with even low-tension electricity connections, government sources revealed.

The funds would be mobilized from `189 crore sanctioned under the mega city project for extensive revamping of the city sewer and water network.

Admitting to frequent unscheduled power outage that cause sewage overflow and seepage in to domestic lines from the main line, senior CMWSSB officials told Deccan Chronicle that the generators are being bought predicting a further deterioration at a time when the government has appealed to the people to gear up for more power cuts.

Not only scheduled power outage, the pumping stations were hit mostly by unscheduled power outage that cause strain on sewer line, resulting in overflow, officials reasoned.

Sewage overflow complaints received from several city areas are testimony to the appalling ground reality.

Besides generators, CMWSSB would also replace small distribution pipelines connected to domestic sewer lines with larger ones so as to accommodate increased inflow of sewage due to burgeoning population, officials reasoned.

Similarly, the capacity of motors at the pumping stations would be increased in proportion to the requirement in a particular area so as to reduce pressure caused by the daily increasing population on a narrow and old sewer line. Once completed, an expanded sewer line and enhanced pumping capacity will decline the number of sewer overflow complaints, officials pointed out.

Project promises to end sewer problems in city

Chennaiites are likely to see fewer sewers overflow on roads and better domestic water supply in the next few months.

CMWSSB (Chennai metropolitan water supply and sewerage board) has taken up a slew of works at an estimated cost of Rs189 crore to expand and revamp the sewer and water network of the city as a part of the mega city project.

Referring to the project, senior CMWSSB officials told Deccan Chronicle that most of the works would begin in August.

The primary objective of the project would be to increase the efficiency of water distribution and enhance the capacity of city sewers in proportion to the steep rise in population witnessed in the city over the recent years.

Pointing out that the number of households in an area has more than tripled across the city over the years while the size of the sewer and drinking water lines remain nearly the same, a senior CMWSSB official reasoned that the works taken up now would plug the mismatch between population and infrastructure available in all 15 areas of CMWSSB.

The work includes replacement of old small water pipelines with larger ones that would increase the water pressure and ensure equal supply to even households in the tail end of a distribution line, officials added.

Similarly, the capacity of motors in water pumping stations would be increase based on the requirement in the particular area.

The works, scheduled to begin months back, have reached the implementation stage only now as contractors involved in the work showed little enthusiasm when the tenders were floated earlier.

Unlike most other projects that consume long duration, these works would be completed early as it would be done in parts and each work would be awarded to contractors separately.