Work to construct two macro drains is proceeding at “breakneck speed” at Sholinganallur and Thoraipakkam to carry and empty rain water into the Buckingham Canal. 

Highways Department sources said a traffic diversion is being planned from the Medavakkam - Sholinganallur Road to the ECR - OMR Link Road (Kalaignar Karunanidhi Road), running to a length of 1.7 km.

“The drain will run across Rajiv Gandhi Salai for which the road would be cut. A temporary road is being formed to allow traffic from Medavakkam direction to reach Rajiv Gandhi Salai via ELCOT.” Around 92% of the ₹47.25-crore work has been completed. 

As far as the drain on the Thoraipakkam Radial Road is concerned, the construction from the Pallavaram side upto OMR junction has been completed. 

At present the work is under way on the Radial Road extension from the junction towards the Canal, which runs between OMR and ECR. Around 0.3 km of the 0.8 km road has been completed so far. “The CMRL contractor at the spot has been told to give priority to this work since it involves flood mitigation in and around the IT Corridor.”

The Highways Department hopes to finish these projects before the onset of the Northeast monsoon. These had been envisaged to prevent flooding in the south part of the city. “One more cut and cover macro drain had been planned, but was not executed,” said another source.

However, the macro drain running from Anai Eri in Pallikaranai to the marsh will take time to complete as the department has sought revised administrative sanctions from the State government.