CHENNAI: The barely two-foot-wide open canal that carries surplus water from Araabath lake near Thirumullaivoyal to the Ambattur lake, is unable to contain water after the recent rains, flooding the areas in Cholambedu that it passes through. Water in the Araabath is already filled with sewage, said residents, turning it into a soft green. This sewage-mixed water is now being washed into their homes, thanks to the outlet canal which is also supposed to serve as the stormwater drain. There are around 300 families living in the area that adjoins the lake.
“We often find trucks releasing sewage into the Araabath lake. We don’t know who we should complain to,” said Saravanan M of Tamarai Nagar in Cholambedu, a stone’s throw from the lake. Tamarai Nagar is among the first to be affected due to the overflowing canal. After the rains on Tuesday and Wednesday, Express found that the water from the canal has spilled over to the streets, leaving residents in parts of the locality, in knee-deep water.
“Only in the last seven-eight years, houses started coming up in large numbers around the lake. After that, a concrete canal was laid to channel the water to Ambattur lake and since then, every time it rains, the water runs into our houses,” said Meena K, a resident of Tamarai Nagar for 40 years. During cyclone Vardah that hit the city in 2016, the water that flowed out of the canal and occupied their streets, took a month to be drained, said local residents.
The sewage that the open canal carries from the lake, also serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. In some parts, residents spent money to close the canal with a concrete slab at the entrances of their houses, although the canal remained open in most parts.
“The canal should either be deepened or widened so as to be able to handle the surplus from the lake. If not, it should be made into a closed structure,” said Chandrasekhar S, a shop owner. The PWD official in-charge said that it was technically the stormwater drain that is being used as surplus canal. “Usually, water will overflow from the drain only during peak flow and will automatically recede in a while,” he said.