Illegal drainage lines pose threat to Royapuram residents
As some of the residents illegally made a connection to an old and collapsed stormwater drainage connection, the drainage water overflows, said the assistant engineer of GCC.
Representative image
CHENNAI: Schemes to beautify north Chennai are something that has always been part of election campaigns, but in the case of Royapuram residents’ livelihood, the reality is different. For over a decade, residents of Royapuram have been forced to witness sewage overflow, walk over it, and periodically experience the stench it emanates.
“Public health is at stake as drainage water overflows and stagnates on the road creating an eyesore situation. The sewer stagnation is also a breeding ground for vectors. Several illegal drainage connections are let into the stormwater drains and there is no solution,” fumed residents of Royapuram.
Despite being a vital road carrying thousands of vehicles a day connecting North Chennai to other parts of the city, Mannarsamy Koil Street at Royapuram zone has been consistently facing the issue of stagnation of drainage water, making it difficult for the commuters and pedestrians to navigate through the area.
“This has become a daily routine for us for ten years, and though several complaints have been raised with the Corporation and sewerage board, nothing has materialised. Instead, both of the bodies have been blaming each other but have not taken any action,” said a resident, who preferred anonymity.
As some of the residents illegally made a connection to an old and collapsed stormwater drainage connection, the drainage water overflows, said the assistant engineer of GCC. We don't have any jurisdiction to take action on this issue as the ball is in the court of Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), she said.
The assistant engineer of CMWSSB told DT NEXT that he had found that owners of two partially residential and commercial buildings had let their drainage connection into the collapsed sewerage line. We already gave notices to those individuals regarding the illegal connection, he said. Immediate action will be taken against the offenders and those illegal drainage connections will be joined with the regular drainage line, he added.