CHENNAI: After another round of rains on Friday, water mixed with sewage was a common sight in many parts of the city. Roads and bylanes surrounding Thiruvalluvar Salai in Teynampet, Kavignar Bharathi Dasan Salai in Alwarpet, Arya Gowda Road, Thambiah Salai, Postal Colony in West Mambalam and 7th Avenue in Ashok Nagar was surrounded by water mixed with sewage.
Residents alleged that sewage mixed rainwater entered their homes. R Padbanaban from Ashok Nagar 47th street, said it enters through outlets. “Only this year we’re facing this issue. After heavy rains, the sewage enters our home through toilets. Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) say the problem is due to a block in the Mambalam canal. Officials are clearing the sewer line with the help of tractors and draining rainwater into stormwater drains,” he said.
Sankar, a worker at a metal scrap shop in Teynampet said sewage on the road has become a routine affair. “We faced the same problem last week. As heavy rains lashed, sewage entered our shop and damaged the materials and we incurred huge losses. CMWSSB officials are working on the problem but we don’t have a permanent solution,” he said. Most of KK Nagar, including PT Rajan Salai, Raja Mannar Salai, Munusami Salai, Alagirisamy Salai, Lakshmipathi Salai, Ashok Pillar road has also been inundated.
Kasthuri from Jeevanantham street in KK Nagar said, “We have kids and elderly in the family. We fear that sewage-water mix may bring diseases. We can’t even go out to buy groceries.” All our sewer networks are full, said Gnanasekaran, Chief Engineer CMWSSB. He added that “SWDs are full due to heavy rain, so it flows into the sewage network. This causes sewage to flow into the roads. We can fix the sewage lines only after rainwater recedes. Currently, we are working with the corporation to suck the water through motor pumps.”
Another senior CMWSSB official told TNIE that garbage, dust and gravel enter the sewage network. “It cannot be cleaned during rains. So we are in the process of draining water. The main sewer pipeline, connecting Ashok Pillar and Nesappakkam has corroded and we are in the process of replacing it. The works have been stopped due to rain since we have to dig deep. After this network is laid, sewage leaking in Munusamy Salai and PTR Salai will be resolved,” he told TNIE.