CHENNAI: A Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Chitalapakkam which is not connected to any sewage-carrying drain in the locality and a structure which capacity is insufficient to treat the incoming quantum of wastewater, is getting repaired repeatedly.
Though officials admitted that the plant cannot serve its purpose with the current capacity, more and more funds are being allocated to refurbish it.
Residents question the motive of panchayat officials, as a new tender worth `18 lakhs was issued to carry out repairs in a plant that has been lying dormant for 10 years now. Officials say they are planning to build another plant with an expanded capacity to overcome this problem.
Sewage generated from around 10,000 houses at Chitalapakkam drains directly into the Sembakkam Lake. More than five lakh litres of untreated sewage is discharged into the lake daily through five to six spots at Chitalapakkam.
This includes Shanthi Avenue, Balaji Avenue, Sarvamangala Nagar, GD Naidu Street and Gomathi Nagar which are not connected to the STP even when it was established.
“A few weeks back when the collector made a visit, they falsely made it appear that the STP was functioning normally. Why carry out repairs to a plant when a new one is to come up soon? Officials have no plans to connect canals from all streets to the plant, only the drain from Babu Street is now connected,” said Pughazhventhan Venkatesan, a local activist.
The STP at Balaji Avenue at Chitalapakkam was built in August 2008 at a cost of `25 lakh with a maximum capacity to treat two lakh litres of sewage. When Express visited the plant, it was found locked from outside. A canal along the plant was carrying raw sewage into the lake located directly behind the STP.
“Around April 2018, we came to know that the building was repainted and machinery inside was repaired at a cost of `12 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. Now, again money is allocated for repair works for a treatment plant that has never been functional,” said Sunil Jayaram, a member of Chitalapakkam Rising.
After being inactive for nearly 10 years, the plant was operational for a brief period of one week, six months after a resident complained to local officials. But, engineers who repaired the plant informed the residents that only a new plant with an increased capacity will be able to complete the task.
Officials said a part of the plant will be shifted further inside the premises as the cut and cover drains in Babu Street will be laid to drain rainwater into the lake.
“Once the drain works are complete, we will repair the valve, bed filling, filter and other items within this budget. Along with the help of an NGO, we are going to construct a plant with added capacity. After this, sewage will not be let into the lake,” said a town panchayat official.