CHENNAI: As the first big showers of the Northeast monsoon started, one of the first areas to be inundated in the city was ironically the DTP colony at Ambattur.
The colony, with over 150 houses, is mainly occupied by staff and family members of the Directorate of Town and Country Planning, a body in-charge of planning and development in urban and rural areas. While the NGT order to keep the Korattur lake clean has been well received, the methods employed by authorities to achieve the task has cost those in residential areas around the lake their peace of mind.
According to residents, the inlet to the Korattur lake has been blocked after the NGT order, which led to most areas around it being more inundated than usual. “Usually, there is never this level of water stagnation in our streets, although waterlogging is common. The water drains into the lake, but now that the inlet to Korattur lake has been blocked, the water remains,” said Pushpalatha Raman, president of DTP colony residents welfare association.
According to residents, at least 50 houses in the locality have been flooded since Monday after a spell of rain that barely lasted a few hours. On Monday, there was a day-long stand-off between residents of DTP colony and residents of Korattur who did not want the inlet blockade to be removed for fear of the lake being contaminated again.
“We had to take them around, showing them that this was merely rain water and no industrial effluents are going to be released into the lake. Finally, the authorities opened the inlet,” said Pushpalatha. However, many parts of the colony remained flooded on Tuesday. Said O R Jawaharlal, a resident, “There is still water even inside our houses. But we are hopeful now that the inlet has been opened.”
Meanwhile, residents of Korattur tell a similar tale. They claim that effluents from Ambattur Industrial Estate has been stagnating in the storm water canal. This is because the natural passage of effluents to the lake has been blocked.
“The storm water canal work, as it is, is incomplete. Some parts of TNHB colony are already waterlogged. Now, if the water mixed with effluents overflows from the canal, all houses here will be flooded,” said secretary of Korattur Residents’ Welfare Association, Syed Hassan.
Water remains stagnant in the storm water canal since it is unable to take its natural course to the Villivakkam lake and thereon to Otteri Nullah since the water has been blocked from entering the water body.