Women Engineers Appointed to Key Leadership Positions for the First Time in Chennai Metrowater's History

For the first time since the establishment of Chennai Metrowater, women have taken over key leadership positions within the organisation. According to a report by The Hindu, women engineers are now serving in critical roles such as Chief Engineer (CE) and Engineering Director. This is a historic achievement as women had previously been part of the workforce, but had not reached top decision-making positions.

Current statistics of the organisation show that women account for 56% of the total employees at Chennai Metrowater, which includes 218 women engineers. O. Parveez, who began her career as an Assistant Engineer in 1991, is now in the position of Engineering Director. A complete team of five women Chief Engineers is working alongside her.

Speaking about her experience, O. Parveez stated, "I chose civil engineering because it is connected to human life, and I joined Metrowater which is directly involved in providing civic amenities." She further added that the first woman Assistant Executive Engineer was appointed in Metrowater in 1987, and since then, the number of women has steadily increased. She acknowledged that during some of her postings, she had to maintain direct contact with customers for long hours.

In the early years, women engineers faced numerous challenges. They had to work long hours, and a significant part of the day was spent travelling. For instance, the workday of K. Uma, Chief Engineer (O and M-II), would begin with a two-hour commute from Nanganallur to Kodungaiyur, where she would supervise work and subsequently return to the office to report to superior officers.

There was a time in the organisation when women were primarily assigned office work or implementation tasks. However, this situation changed in the mid-1990s. The then Managing Director, Santa Sheila Nair, opened the doors to such critical assignments for women engineers, which accelerated the transformation.

In the early days, women engineers had to perform tasks such as resolving urgent complaints and conducting night rounds for maintenance. While supervising new water and sewer applications, they had to manage large crowds and public grievances. M. Geetha, Chief Engineer (Operation and Maintenance), recalled that initially, handling communication and interaction with the general public was challenging, but over time, colleagues and the public began to accept women in technical and decision-making roles.

With the advent of technology, the method of working has changed and the volume of work has also increased. Now, engineers can share field updates from early morning via mobile phones. R. Chitra, Project Director and Chief Engineer of the Ring Main Pipeline, stated that sometimes work responsibilities affect personal time, but there is no single formula for work-life balance; it depends on each individual's capacity and situation.

J. Suganthi, Chief Engineer (Project-III), stated that working on desalination projects from Minjur to Parur allowed her to explore new fields and challenging projects. She added that due to technology, desalination has emerged as an alternative source of water and data collection through metering has improved.

A. Pushpalatha, Chief Engineer (Project-I), said, "Women were not considered suitable for demanding field assignments and leadership roles. But they have proven themselves in every aspect of the job. What matters is our commitment and ability to deliver results, not our gender." Following the retirement of A. Pushpalatha, H.S. Kalyani will now take her place.