CHENNAI: The laxness of one Government agency has come back to bite another. While the Pallavaram municipality has allegedly been allowing the flow of raw sewage into Kilkattalai surplus canal, on the other hand, the Public Works Department (PWD) officials are struggling to construct a retaining wall on the canal due to the overflowing sewage. In an attempt to protect the surrounding area of Kagithapuram in Sunnambu Kolathur from flooding, the PWD has undertaken the project of constructing a 1.7 km-long retaining wall which is to be around 4 m wide. However, as the construction site at the canal was dug up earlier this month, they were greeted by oozing sewage that is delaying work.
The untreated sewage is suspected to be from a leak in the pipeline that runs from the Keelkattalai sewage pumping station to the Perungudi pumping station, crossing the canal at some places. Residents also said that pipes were found to be transferring sewage from pumping stations in Kilkattalai to open stormwater drains in residential areas, which in turn runs into waterbodies. Two pumps, with a combined power of 15 HP has been running continuously to pump out the sewage and allow workers to do their job. “The sewage is let back into those parts of the canal where we have no work to do. That is the best we can do right now,” said a worker on the site.
The work has been taken up at an estimated value of Rs 16.7 crore. Express found sewage oozing out of the canal even as it was being pumped out from the other end. Workers were provided rubber boots to do their job. “We want the work to be completed as soon as possible since we were among the worst affected during the 2015 floods. Even after moderate rains, this canal runs full,” said J Sankar, a resident of Kagithapuram. When contacted, a senior official of the Pallavaram municipality said that a block has been identified in the connecting pipe to both pumping station. “The block will be cleared in the next two days. There will not be any leakage after that,” the official said.