CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) recently released a report saying there are no harmful chemicals or bacteria in Narayanapuram and Keelkattalai lakes. But residents say this report is misleading, as surplus canals, not the lakes, must be tested.
Following complaints that untreated sewage is discharged into Keelkattalai surplus channel, the NGT formed a committee and TNPCB tested the lakes. “It is the Kovilambakam canal (Keelkattalai lake surplus channel) that is polluted, and not Keelkattalai lake, which is upstream of the canal, or Narayanapuram lake. The inlet is blocked to protect drinking water supply,” said a resident on anonymity.
Concurring, J Shankar, coordinator, Sunnambu Kolathur Federation of Residents Welfare Association, said sewage from Keelkattalai surplus canal flows directly into the Pallikaranai marsh. “Instead of testing the 4-km-long surplus canal, the department is testing two lakes that are already protected. Thousands of households along the canal are affected due to sewage from the sewage-pumping station near Keelkatalai lake and the stormwater drains along Medavakam High Road in Pallavaram Municipality,” he said.
“The PWD’s work on the canal wall has been hitting roadblocks due to sewage. The workers say they are falling sick and cannot work for long hours due to the presence of hydrogen sulphide,” said Shantha, another resident. Though local bodies claim all households have sewer connections or septic tanks, the NGT panel found an overflow of sewage at Nanmangalam, Moovarasampet and Kovilambakkam in St Thomas Mount Panchayat Union limits, Kelkattalai, Pallavaram Municipality area, and some areas of Madipakkam.