Officials inspect sewage discharge near Cooum

“We were inspecting the work done by the department and checking what should be done further to increase the capacity. Also, the debris dumped near the river is being removed as soon as possible,” said A Muthaiah, Superintending Engineer, PWD.

The official said that PWD was likely to form a committee to check if any new encroachments come up near the waterbody. “As of now, there are no new encroachments near the river. Soon, we will submit a proposal to form a committee. The team will have officials from PWD, Chennai Corporation, town panchayats, and Revenue department. If there are any new encroachments near the river, the committee would take immediate action,” Muthaiah added.

Residents living by the river claimed that untreated sewage was still being drained into the river from residential buildings.

When asked, officials said that they have started installing water treatment plant.

“It is the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s responsibility to stop sewage from entering into the river by setting up a sewage treatment plants (STP) at various points in the waterbody. They have already started setting up STP in Chetpet stretch of Cooum, and it is expected to be completed in six months,” said S Kavitha, Assistant Engineer, PWD.