MADURAI: With heavy downpour lashing the city for the past three days, several prominent places, including the Meenakshi Amman Temple, Periyar bus stand, Arapalayam and others, witnessed severe waterlogging issues. Though immediate measures were taken by the corporation to drain out the stagnated rainwater, locals urged for permanent measures to prevent similar issues in future.
Madurai and its neighbouring regions have been facing rainfall since Friday, with the district receiving 17.8 mm of rain on Saturday. While the ongoing showers are a respite for the summer heat, citizens expressed concern over the waterlogging, sewage overflow and garbage-strewn roads. Though stagnated water in some areas evaporates in the high temperature of the day, puddles on uneven roads are a cause of worry to commuters.
Speaking to TNIE, S Agni Veeran (30) of Vilangudi said, "Clogged underground drainage (UGD) lines have overflown in various areas of the city, and the rainwater mixed with sewage has created a haphazard situation for the people. Moreover, waterlogging has become a major issue in the premises of Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, as the whole road gets filled with rainwater."
M Masthan, a resident of Meenakshi Nagar, alleged that their domestic areas lack UGD lines and sewage flows along the road sides. "In Aruppukottai, the main road gets clogged with sewage within 30 minutes of rainfall, and it takes a couple of days for the situation to return to normalcy. The clogged up sewage can often be sighted at the entrance of the govt apartment at the Padma Theatre region too," he said, and added that though the corporation tries to desilt the open sewage once in a blue moon, it gets clogged again after a few days.
Meanwhile, local activists urged the corporation to take steps to ensure proper maintenance of the rain drains, which often get clogged with roadside silt, and formulate plans to direct the rain water to the 13 canals that flow within the city.
Responding to the concerns, a senior official from the city corporation said that necessary action has been taken to clear out stagnated water from across the city. "In major areas such as Arapalayam subway and Meenakshi temple premises, water was drained out using pumps, a couple of hours after the rain. Sand fillers have also been used in case of low-lying areas," the official said.
Furthermore, the official pointed out the possibility of using suction lorries, pumps and other vehicles in case of new complaints of water stagnation. Measures are also under way to rectify issues in open sewage areas.