CHENNAI: It has been almost a decade since an underground drainage (UGD) system was proposed for Avadi, during the then DMK government. This facility, slated to cost Rs 156.74 crore, promised to remove the anathema of open drains in this fast-expanding area. But the proposal has thus far remained just that, adding to the sanitation woes of local residents.
According to officials, three wards, namely 1, 2 and 48, have an operational underground sewerage network, connected to the sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 4 million litres (MLD) per day at Mitnamallee. But the remaining 45 wards are not yet connected, despite several households depositing Rs 10,000 towards the purpose. Over 22,000 households have paid that amount, with the municipality now making it mandatory for those who come for new property registrations or those seeking transfer of deeds, an official told Express.
When contacted, Avadi municipality commissioner PMN Mujibeer Rahman said the tender for the UGD project, being executed jointly with Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), was issued only in 2012. He said work is ongoing for another treatment plant at Paruthipattu, which has a much bigger capacity of 36 MLD.
“As much as 95% of that work is over, following which individual household lines will be connected to the common network. We hope to complete the work in 4-5 months,” he said, adding that sewer lines running for a length of 293 kilometres have already been laid.
The commissioner also said the municipality will embark on a new proposal to handle solid waste management in a better manner. Placing more emphasis on source segregation, he said dry or inorganic waste will be collected separately from households every Wednesday, while on the other days, conservancy workers would collect organic waste.
“We have identified 23 locations, where there would be a facility, with a capacity of 5 tonnes, to convert organic waste into manure. Also at these locations, the inorganic waste will be sold for scrap, with the proceeds going to the sanitary workers,” Rahman said.
When the absence of adequate dustbins was put across, he said, “362 dustbins are already deployed in all the wards, with an extra 127 bins being ordered. They will come next week.”
While they are shortly expected to launch a public awareness campaign, municipality officials are pinning their hopes on the UGD network to solve the drainage problem that has been plaguing the area for decades.