CHENNAI: The Pallavaram municipality has allegedly been pumping out sewage from a manhole into the open storm water drain that directly leads to the Pallavaram lake’s inlet canal. Sewage coming in from several streets of Ward 24 was found being pumped out from a manhole in Lakshmi Nagar extension in Chromepet and let out at the end of the street where the Pallavaram lake’s inlet canal begins. Moreover, this is being done by hooking into power lines in the street. A switchboard was installed on the electric post. “We have asked the municipality workers multiple times not to let sewage into the drain which is supposed to carry rain water.
There are children in the house and we are worried for their health,” said Sharmila P, a resident. When Express visited the spot on Thursday morning, sewage was seen gushing out from the pipes to the inlet canal of the lake. This is a reflection of the poor state of the underground sewage network in Chromepet and Pallavaram, say civic rights activists.
“The sewage network is filled with blocks and there are leaks in every other street. Instead of rectifying the system, the municipality finds ways to work around the issue with temporary solutions,” said resident of Chromepet and civic activist David Manohar. Pallavaram Municipality officials were unavailable for comment despite multiple attempts.
Express found that sewage that has been allowed to stagnate in an empty plot over a period of several weeks, for instance, was pumped back through a secondary pipeline into a manhole near Natesan street in Chromepet. This, in turn, led to leakage in streets around the area due to overload, said residents. Pallavaram Municipality officials were unavailable for comment despite multiple attempts.