CHENNAI: The main sewage pipelines that connect households in Mylapore and Mandaveli to the pumping station on Greenways road have been leaking untreated waste into Buckingham Canal for the past six months, drawing the ire of activists and residents alike.The primary reason behind such leaks is old and damaged pipes which have not been replaced since they were installed 30 years ago, say activists. They say only temporary measures are being taken whenever complaints are raised.
“The first leak started near Mylapore MRTS last year when I was part of a waste disposal audit. There was a huge cavity on one of the pipelines. After I raised a complaint, the contractor closed the cavity with putty temporarily. A month later the gap burst open and started leaking again,” said C R Balaji, an activist from Mylapore, who complained about the recent leaks to MLA R Natraj recently.
Though it’s been a week, sewage continues to leak here. Similarly, sewage leaks were noticed in pipes running along Adyar river. Another reason behind such repeated leaks is the high pressure with which sewage is being pumped to the treatment plants, said Jayaram Venkatesan, convener of Arappor Iyakkam, an anti-corruption NGO, which also conducts regular audits on water bodies. “Multiplexes and large residential colonies do not have their own sewage treatment plant and their sewage is also let into the main pipeline. When the pressure increases, the pipe leaks or even breaks,” he said.
Through their audits, they found that the city generates around 1500MLD everyday but Metro Water Board is equipped with treatment plants that have capacity of only 727MLD. The excess sewage is often let into storm water drains by residents and in some places, officials have asked residents to do so.
“In Korattur, the underground sewage connection system failed. As the pipes from storm water drains directly discharge into the sea, these have become parallel to the drainage system in place,” said Harris Sultan, a member of Arappor Iyakkam.
Similarly, near Adyar Poonga in Mandaveli, in Velachery and Villivakkam some residents were discharging sewage into the drains directly. “Because of such practices, storm water drains overflow when it rains. While cleaning such drains along with metro water officials, we found the drains were clogged with sewage,” he added.
Metrowater officials said that some of these pipelines are lengthy and not easy to replace. “We have been replacing old underground pipes in areas where it is required. Leaks and overflows can be seen only during the monsoon. Though funds have been allocated for such replacements, as these lines go through bus routes and main roads, we take time to start the work,” said R Neelakandan, Public relations manager, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.