The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Public urinal at Choolai poses a health hazard

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 16, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Public urinal at Choolai poses a health hazard

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, MAY 15. Residents of V.V. Koil Street and nearby areas in Choolai have been battling with the Corporation for nearly three months over an open urinal. Abutting the walls of the Corporation maternity clinic, the public urinal blocks nine and a half feet of the 30-feet wide road. A park that extends the length of the clinic's compound wall has also been proposed.

Nurses and employees at the clinic say the stench from the urinal is unbearable. The residents say the width of the park should not exceed three and a half feet. Repeated representations to the Corporation have not yielded any results. During the showers last week, the streets were waterlogged. The residents wonder why the area needs a urinal when it already has a pay-and-use toilet.

"We waded through knee-deep water last week during the rains. Even our doctor has spoken to corporation employees about it," a nurse said. The clinic houses a day-care centre for 35 children. The teacher said, "It is difficult to sit in the room." A common fear among them is of water-borne diseases and those spread by flies.

A resident, G. Kothandaraman, said, "The toilet is being used as a dry urinal where children also defecate."

Lorries that frequent various godowns in the area also use this road. The urinal has made commuting difficult. Autorickshaw drivers who have put up a stand here said the road was not properly laid. A portion of the concretised road had chipped off. Some two-wheeler riders have skidded off their vehicles, the auto drivers said.

The corporation zonal officer said, "We have provided an alignment with the transformer (for the urinal)." He said the road level was raised, and the streets were concretised. "We are planning to provide taps and sewer connections. We will also post a sanitary worker throughout the day."

When pointed out that the residents did not think that would solve the problem, the officer said, "If the people can give assurance that there will be no open air defecation here, we will not go ahead with the work."

Meanwhile, the concrete roads laid three months ago have chipped off at several places. Only a portion of V.V. Koil Street has been laid. On T.K. Mudali Street off V.V. Koil Street concrete roads have created other problems. Drains run beneath the roads in several places. Desilting the drains or removing blocks in sewers will mean breaking the roads and the Corporation will not allow it. Sediments can be removed only in some places.

Girija, a resident of Mudali Street, said, "We get the sewer blocks cleaned by people whom we know."

Mageshwari, who lives in a house built during her husband's grandfather's time, said, "On some days, sewage flows back into the house and water stagnates in the pits in toilets. We pay to have the blocks removed. Within a week, the drains get blocked again."

Umapathy Achary, a retired goldsmith, who has been living here since 1952, said: "I am too old to fight. The blocks in sewers have become a problem. I want to live in peace. The neighbours help me to fix the problem."

The residents said they could not air their grievances because political representatives did not hold door-to-door campaigns in their area. They said the Corporation could maintain the drains and sewers if it had the will.

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