Women engineers take the helm at Chennai Metrowater

For the first time since its inception, Chennai Metrowater has women in key leadership posts, including chief engineers and engineering directors. | Photo Credit: V. Umesh Kumar

Women have long been a part of the workforce that keeps Chennai’s water and sewerage systems running. Now, for the first time since its inception, Chennai Metrowater has women in key leadership posts, including chief engineers (CE) and engineering directors.

The milestone comes at a time when women account for 56% of the water agency’s workforce, including 218 women engineers.

O. Parveez, who joined as assistant engineer in 1991, is now an engineering director and has a five-member, all-women chief engineers’ team working with her.

“I chose civil engineering as it is related to human life, and joined Metrowater that directly involves providing civic amenities. Metrowater had its first woman assistant executive engineer in 1987 and since then, the number has steadily grown. Some of my postings involved direct interaction with consumers for long hours,” she said.

Early years