CHENNAI: Pipe-laying work at VC Garden First Street in Mandaveli has not only damaged roads in the area but also led to the contamination of drinking water supply. In the process of upgrading the 750-mm sewage pipelines to 1000-mm, connecting the North Mylapore sewage pumping station to the Adyar pumping station, the drinking water pipes in the VC Garden locality were said to be damaged.
“The drinking water is black and smells foul and this issue has been persisting for the last two months,” said M R Ramamurthy, a resident of over 20 years. On Thursday, over a dozen residents took their complaints to Mylapore MLA R Natraj. According to residents, the pipe-laying project that was stalled briefly before resuming in June after residents posted a complaint to the Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell.
Said K Viswanathan, secretary, Mylapore Residents Welfare Association, “Work had come to a halt after the workers found it difficult to manoeuvre around an underground chamber where the road turns to Alamelumangapuram.” He added that customised bent pipelines had to be brought in to enable resumption of work.
While residents said that resolving the drinking water issue was on top of their priority list, the dug-up roads that have remained in bad state for around a year, are also a nagging worry. “With the roads in this state and the water barely potable, there is no way for even supply lorries to make their trips,” said Ramamurthy.
The VC Garden Road is an important connecting stretch for commuters from Mandaveli to Mylapore. With the RK Mutt Road often congested due to popular schools and temples lining it, the VC Garden Road has served as the quickest alternative before the pipe-laying project was taken up. Said a Metro Water official, “The project was taken up for strengthening the sewage pumping system and in the process, some drinking water service connections seem to have been damaged. It will be rectified by Friday.