Sewage spoils Mamallapuram’s image

Residents and tourists in Mamallapuram are forced to navigate a stretch of sewage water, flowing out of a manhole on Othavadai Street, the main thoroughfare  leading to the beach, which  is a popular tourist  destination. 

Ramya* (name changed), a resident living near the beach, is forced to shut herself in the house, due to an acute sewage problem in the locality. 

“The freely flowing sewage on the streets, raises an unbearable stench. We are not able to enjoy the sea breeze in our porch. The sewage stagnation is worrying us, mainly because the dengue threat is looming large in the city. 

There are many children in the area. If this problem is not attended to immediately, it can turn into a major health hazard,” rued the homemaker. 

During the weekend, scores of surfers hit the Mamallapuram beach. Mumu (a.k.a) Mukesh, who runs a surf shop near the beach, says the problem is an overflowing manhole a few yards from the beach. The side of the Othavadai Street leading to the beach and GKM Street, which leads to the fishermen’s village, is facing this issue. 

“I cannot walk to the beach without slippers, sewage water is all over the road which is mostly used by tourists to access the beach. Slowly, a stream of sewage runs into the beach and is forming a dirty pool on the sands. Now, it has become a regular occurrence and the seasonal rain is worsening the situation. We did complain to the officials, but no action has been taken yet,” said the fisherman-turned-surfer. 

DT Next is in possession of a video taken on Friday morning, showing a thin stream of sewage water flowing into the beach area. 

An official from the local administration said that they take immediate action once such issues are brought to notice. “Sometimes the manholes are broken, or they are blocked due to garbage being dumped into them by the local community. We have created awareness on this, but the practice continues. The moment we get information about a blocked drain, we bring a vehicle and ensure it is unclogged immediately,” said a source.