CHENNAI: Residents of Perumbakkam Slum Board tenements are enduring sleepless nights due to mosquito menace caused by open and stagnant sewage from a nearby construction site. A pool of sewage mixed with garbage is being let out near the entrance of the tenements from the construction site, where the labourers stay.
People residing in the first block are the most affected and on condition of anonymity claim that the stagnant sewage has been there for months, ever since construction began. “This has given rise to mosquito menace and during the recent rains has got worse,” said a resident.
“No amount of mosquito repellant works and we are unable to sleep at night. Apart from the mosquitoes, the stink is unbearable,” he said, adding it is near impossible to come out and stand in the balcony. A few of the residents have raised the issue with local officials.
The residents are fearful of contracting vector-borne diseases such as malaria or dengue. “There’s one healthcare centre here but most of the time, there’s only a nurse and no doctor. So, we have to go to a private hospital which will we cannot afford,” the resident said.
When contacted, an official from the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board said they will check and the sewage will be removed and an alternate arrangement will be made to let it out safely.