The Highways Department has identified 54 vulnerable locations on roads, which were flooded during last year’s Northeast monsoon. “We have arranged for 54 motorable pumps on tractors to be placed at these spots to prevent flooding during heavy rain,” said an official.
These points get flooded since they are usually lower than the mean sea level or nearby areas, and there isn’t any natural gradient allowing for the water to drain due to gravity. “In our parlance, we call such locations ‘saucers’. We do not have a choice but to pump out the water to nearby places where the flow is natural. Storm-water drains (SWDs) will not work in saucers, and if constructed, there will be backflow of water. Places such as Tiruvottiyur, Kolathur, and Ellis Road have such saucers,” a former Highways engineer said.
