Sewage pumping stations in Tondiarpet unsafe for Metro Water staff

CHENNAI: North Chennai was promised development under the Vada Chennai Valarchi Thittam at a cost of Rs 6,900 crore, which has Metro Water insiders hoping that the State would provide more funding for its dilapidated old pumping stations and also recruit more staff to meet the manpower demand that escalates every monsoon.

Pouring out their long-pending demands and grievances, Metro Water workers at the pumping stations in Kodungaiyur, Kadumbadi Amman Koil and Nehru Nagar in Tondiarpet zone, told DT Next that most pumping stations did not have a drinking water facility.

Lack of access to proper toilet facilities forces workers to open defecation. The operation room and a collection chamber are damaged, and on the whole, the buildings are falling apart.

“Pumping stations play a crucial role in clearing drainage lines. But during monsoon, there’s hip-level water stagnation in the 25-year-old Kodungaiyur pumping station. We don’t have drinking water facilities here, and for attending nature’s call, we use the nearby restaurant and public toilets,” lamented a worker at the plant. “After the monsoon in 2024, the operating room caved in and steps were damaged, thus making it hard to enter. Inside the station, people often consume alcohol.”

The sewage pumping stations in north Chennai are a glaring example of official apathy and neglect, and an infrastructure crumbling under the weight of urban demands. “These stations, meant to manage sewage from over 300 streets, are woefully under-equipped. That’s why there is frequent overflow of sewage water, especially during monsoons,” said Jaiganesh LM, a civic activist and resident of Kodungaiyur.

When contacted, a senior official in Metro Water stated: “The pumping stations in the Tondiarpet zone will get a new building under the Vada Chennai Valarchi Thittam. Tenders are floated, and works are initiated in Nehru Nagar. It will take at least a year to complete the construction of the new buildings.”