Varadarajapuram’s I-Day call: Safe & clean water

CHENNAI: The Varadarajapuram Panchayat near Tambaram has urged the State government to ensure that all sewage from residential areas, including Varadarajapuram, is connected to the proposed underground sewer network on the banks of the Adyar to safeguard groundwater and prevent environmental degradation.

The demand was passed in a resolution at its Independence Day Grama Sabha meeting on Friday, based on a petition by the Federation of Varadarajapuram Welfare Associations (FEDOVWA).

In the resolution, it also called for allocation of funds to lay a comprehensive underground sewer and stormwater drainage system across the village panchayat, enabling domestic wastewater to be channelled into the pipelines of Chennai Rivers Transformation Company Ltd (CRTCL) as part of the Adyar river restoration project.

FEDOVWA president V Rajasekaran said the locality frequently experiences flooding during the monsoon. “Flood mitigation measures have gained momentum only recently after continuous appeals to the state government, the Kancheepuram district administration, the Water Resources Department, and the elected representatives,” he said.

The federation expressed its gratitude for the government’s sanction of Rs 55 crore for constructing flood protection walls in Amarambedu and Orathur. It also welcomed the ongoing works for desilting, removal of water hyacinth, and construction of retaining walls along eroded stretches of the riverbank.

The resolution further took note of the government’s announcement to establish the CRTCL with an outlay of Rs 1,500 crore for restoring the Adyar river, with Rs 300 crore earmarked in the current fiscal for the first phase.

The project envisages laying sewer pipelines on both banks and setting up sewage treatment plants at designated points to prevent untreated wastewater from entering the river.

However, the federation pointed out that the present plan only covers existing sewage outlets directly discharging into the river. It insisted that sewage from all residential areas in the vicinity, including Varadarajapuram, be connected to the new network to prevent contamination of groundwater and to protect the surrounding environment.