HEALTH HAZARD: The overflowing sewage in the HIG flats at Korattur. — Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: Several city suburbs continue to be inundated though there has been no heavy rain in the last few days.

Residents of Karapakkam and several parts adjoining the Porur lake, Maduravoyal and Korattur feel their woes are due to the temporary arrangements made to drain water from adjoining areas. They fear that continued exposure to stagnant water will lead to spread of diseases like cholera.

There has been a steady stream of patients suffering from diarrhoeal disorders to the Communicable Diseases Hospital at Tondiarpet.

Chennai Corporation officials say more than 20 persons from the northern suburbs were admitted on Wednesday. On Thursday it was less than ten. But they aver there is no outbreak of water-borne diseases. The patients are coming from different areas.

Leela Krishnan, a resident of Mahalakshmi Nagar at Thundalam village near Porur, says repeated complaints to the Karappakkam Panchayat about water stagnating in the residential colony have failed to draw a response. "The problem arises because water from Iyyapanthangal is diverted to our colony," she says.

Overflowing water from the Porur lake continues to inundate BHEL Nagar, Santhosh Nagar, Amman Nagar and Annai Velanganni Nagar areas of the Mugalivakkam panchayat. Over 30 colonies are still under knee-deep water.

Residents suspect that encroachers on the Porur Lake are releasing water at night. The panchayat had cleaned up the water channels — encroached upon over a period of time — after the first spell of rain last month.

A ward councillor, Mahalingam, says over the last ten days, the situation has turned grim. The Kundrathur Panchayat Union knows about it.

Residents of Aishwarya Apartments in Korattur are living amid the slush resulting from the mixing of overflowing sewage and water.

P. Krishnaswamy, a resident of the apartments situated in East Avenue, says the situation is very unhealthy. The overflow from the storm water drains, and the sewage have collected near the wells in the apartment. The situation has remained so for the last two months.

"We have made several complaints to Ambattur municipality but nothing has materialised so far," he laments.

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