Wind-blown silt on Trichy highways raises safety concerns

Trichy: Strong winds during the seasonal windy spell have emerged as a major challenge for authorities in clearing silt from roads across Trichy city, with accumulations along state and national highways posing a growing risk to two-wheeler riders and cyclists.While Trichy Corporation regularly deploys workers and machinery to clear silt from city roads, stretches maintained by the State Highways department and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) continue to witness heavy silt deposits along the edges of carriageways.Wind speeds in Trichy, which usually range between 15 kmph and 25 kmph, increase to 35-40 kmph between June and August. The gusty winds carry dust and loose soil, causing fine silt to settle along road medians and carriageway edges.The corporation deploys 50 to 60 sanitation workers daily to clear silt from major bus routes. The collected silt is dumped in low-lying areas instead of being mixed with municipal solid waste. As a result, most corporation-maintained roads remain relatively free of silt, but highways continue to be affected.“Silt on highways is a serious risk for two-wheeler riders. When heavy vehicles overtake us, we tend to move towards the left edge of the road. If there is loose silt, the bike can easily skid,” said N Saravanan, a road safety activist.

Although the corporation has two mechanised road-sweeper trucks, officials said manual cleaning remains the primary method due to the inconsistent performance of the machines.“We are clearing silt even on state and national highways, as there is little support from the respective departments. The road-sweeper trucks are not always effective, so we deploy workers, especially during VVIP visits,” a corporation source said.Officials also attributed the problem to ongoing private construction projects, with soil carried onto roads by vehicles leaving construction sites. Major stretches of the Trichy-Thanjavur, Trichy-Chennai and Trichy-Pudukottai national highways are among the worst affected.“The winds are so strong that even if we clear the silt today, it returns the next day. We will increase the frequency of cleaning,” an NHAI official said.