DHARMAPURI: Residents of Ram Nagar and Jai Nagar urged the Dharmapuri administration to take steps to prevent stagnation of sewage water in the check dam near Vennampatti road. They said that the check dam is located near Ram Nagar and Jai Nagar along the Vennampatti road and it diverts excess water from the Sanathkumar lake. In this situation, during the monsoon, the check dam stores a portion of the water, but now sewage water from nearby villages are also present in the check dam, which causes issues for the residents.
K Arasu, a resident of the area told TNIE, “There are over 200 families in Ram Nagar and Jai Nagar. Over the past few months, the check dam has become a major problem in the area as the waste and sewage water flowing from Sowlur, Royal Nagar, and Nehru Nagar are accumulated there.”
K Mattew, another resident, said, “The main problem are that the wells in the locality are being contaminated and this could lead to many illnesses. Moreover, as the check dam becomes a hospot for mosquito breeding. Moreover, Sanathkumar river is already filled with polluted water from the municipality, so storing this water would further degrade the groundwater in the area. We urge the administration to look into the issues.”
Another resident in the area, R Kumar, said, “During the rains, the sewage water flows to the roads and causes problems for the motorists. We need the administration to ensure that the check dam will not be contaminated in the future. The check dam itself is not the problem, but the waste water gathering from other areas is the main issue.” When TNIE spoke to officials in the Block Development Office, they said, “We will conduct an inspection and take the necessary steps to prevent such contamination."