In order to avoid the Chennai deluge in Coimbatore, the Licensed Building Surveyor’s Association has given a proposal to the city Corporation to bring about a change in the drainage system.

According to the proposal, the storm water drains should be replaced with precast concrete slabs. This would help create a separate way for water to drain and allow all type of cables to be laid underground using a different channel.

S. Kanagasundaram, the Technical Convener of the Association, said that if implemented the plan would allow water to drain away easily without blockage.

He opined that laying new roads would clear away sand from roadsides that usually blocked the drains during the monsoon creating floods. The loose sand usually accumulates whenever the civic body digs up roads for laying
cables but leave it without putting it in order.

“While the channel in which the cables run through is covered with slabs that can be easily lifted, the drains would also be covered with metal lids that allows water to pass through them and it can also be lifted by two persons ,” he said.

In the proposal, the members have also requested the town planning officials to link all the storm water drains in the city depending on the city’s infrastructure.

“Usually, north Coimbatore is higher than the southern region and the rain waters naturally flow towards the south during floods but the blocks in the storm water drains result in inundation and flooding,” he opined.

Apart from helping the process of draining the rain water and avoiding flood, the plan would also help traffic congestion in the city by creating more space.

“Loose soil occupies most parts of the roadsides and if they are cleared the roads can be completely utilized by vehicles and pedestrians,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, M. Velumayil, the President of the organization, said that the implementation would also help clear big transformers from roadsides that block the pavement.

He further stated that a specific system like the Geographical Information System (GIS) analyses the road segment-wise and enables immediate redressal of issues using segregated data maintained by the system. “The system would maintain separate data for the roads, drainage canals and cables,” he added.

However, a member from the Coimbatore Civil Engineer’s Association stated that in spite of the help that the plan would bring to the city’s infrastructure, the plan would be a little expensive and the implementation would be a time consuming proposition.