Chennai Citizen Connect: Canals feed Chitlapakkam waterways sewage, not rainwater
Residents fear that if this continues, contamination could render groundwater unsafe for consumption. They noted that despite multiple complaints, the Corporation has not taken effective measures to date.
Untreated sewage is being discharged into the canal in Sri Sarvamangala Nagar
CHENNAI: The residents of Chitlapakkam are facing hardship as sewage is mixing with rainwater canals that connect to local lakes. The contamination caused by faulty drainage systems and encroachment has left residents distressed over the long-term impact on the groundwater table.
According to the residents, a 4-kilometre-long canal originally built to effectively direct rainwater into nearby lakes to ensure proper drainage during the monsoon, runs through the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road, the railway line, and Judge Colony in Sanatorium before splitting to feed Chitlapakkam Lake and the other waterway passing through neighbourhoods such as Sri Sarvamangala Nagar, Raja Rajeswari Nagar, Hasthinapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, and Vinobaji Nagar before reaching Sembakkam Lake.
However, in recent years, encroachments and poor maintenance have narrowed the canals, disrupting the natural flow of water. The Tambaram Corporation officials, instead of fully repairing the drainage system, resorted to a temporary arrangement of diverting sewage water into the rainwater canals through pipes. As a result, sewage now flows openly through canals meant for clean rainwater.
Residents fear that if this continues, contamination could render groundwater unsafe for consumption. They noted that despite multiple complaints, the Corporation has not taken effective measures to date.
M Ravi, the secretary of the Sri Sarvamangala Nagar Residents' Association, said that Tambaram Corporation is discharging untreated sewage into canals meant for rainwater, in violation of civic rules.
"Due to blockages in the underground drainage lines, the Corporation has connected pipes to the rainwater canals for temporary channelling of sewage to flow directly into them. If this continues, we will approach the Green Tribunal to protect our lakes," he stated.
In response, Tambaram Corporation officials said that plans for a new exercise to remove all existing underground drainage blockages are under discussion. They assured that work would begin soon and that these problems would not recur.