Canal poorly maintained for a decade irks locals

Locals claimed that the canal was not cleaned up for over a decade now and hence the canal was filled with debris and garbage. They alleged that the filthy stagnant water has been the cause of health issues for the residents.

The five-kilometre canal that starts at Kovilambakkam ends near the Pallikaranai marshland. “The canal was last cleaned 10 years ago and after that it was not maintained properly,” said John Manohar from Kovalimbakkam. He along with other residents said that the water in the canal is unusable and a foul smell that emanates from the canal makes the surrounding areas unliveable.

Residents said that the canal is now the main mosquito breeding source for several neighbourhoods including LIC Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Engineering Avenue, Viduthalai Nagar, Judge colony and Kakitham Nagar, where thousands of families reside.

“Some of our residents even shifted their homes since the situation was getting too worse to continue a living in such an environment,” said John Manohar, a resident.

The residents said that they filed a petition to the local body officials and PWD several times but none of them undertook the cleaning of the canal. “We also petitioned the district administration, local MLA and other officials but they have all been of no use,” added Manohar.

When contacted, Kodambakkam village panchayat secretary Murugesan said that the canal was under the control of PWD. “We have asked them to clean up the canal soon. Recently, the government has also allocated funds for cleaning the canal,” he added.

PWD working inspector R Saravanan said that the canal repair work would soon be started. “We have received the necessary funds, hence the work should be completed in three months,” he said.