CHENNAI: The Defence Enclave in Avadi is largely marked by well-maintained civic amenities. In contrast, for those who live outside the enclave, life could have been better but isn’t. Foremost among their grievances is the poor drainage system and inadequate solid waste management. These two issues are handled by the Avadi municipality, that covers 48 wards.
Express surveyed the area and found open drains filled with garbage at several locations. Around 130-140 tonnes of garbage is generated every day, of which at least 45% is inorganic. Municipality officials say the collected garbage is dumped near Sekkadu village along the Cooum river bed. But a significant amount of the waste is dumped in the drains that run through all 48 wards of the municipality.
The situation is very serious at Nandavanam Mettur, where several of the houses at Karunanidhi Street overlooks a sea of filthy waste, brought by a drain from Kamarajar Nagar and other nearby residential areas.
Concerned about her grandchildren’s health, Pachayammal, 55, a resident of Nandavanam Mettur for about 25 years, has sent them away. “The house is cracked due to building instability caused by corrosion, but what bothers me greatly is the mosquito menace. Two children in the neighbourhood have developed fever in the last few weeks,” she said. Ironically, at the end of Karunanidhi Street is a sewage treatment plant, which residents claim has been kept locked for several years now.
Express also found the drain clogged with garbage near the Ganapathy Koil Street in Nehru Nagar. “Municipality workers removed the filth some days back. But in less than a day, more garbage came floating and has accumulated,” Muniappan, 78, said. He said even if the municipality clears the drains, they merely take the garbage and dump it along the banks.
A similar problem is seen at Bakthavatchalapuram, an area which has very few public dustbins. Former councillor (ward 21) M Thirumalai Kumar said he had proposed a plan about 7 years ago, to de-silt and cover the drain. “It didn’t take off for certain reasons. The municipality should focus on finding a long term solution to the problem but nobody seems to be taking any initiative,” he said.
According to municipality officials, much of the problem is caused by the residents themselves, who find it convenient to flip garbage into the drains flowing near their residence. On the other hand, residents say there are no public dustbins. “If there were enough dustbins or if they are removed at regular intervals, such instances can be reduced,” opined S Kumar, an auto driver.