The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Unabated flow the woes of Olimohammedpet residents

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 06, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Unabated flow the woes of Olimohammedpet residents

V. Venkatasubramanian

Sewage gushing out of manholes, a perennial problem

— Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Stink and squalor: Sewage gushing out of the manhole on Varadappa Mudali Street, Olimohammedpet in Kancheepuram Municipality.

KANCHEEPURAM: Sewage gushing out of manholes and flowing on carriageways has become a perennial problem for the residents of Olimohammedpet, entry point to the Kancheepuram Municipality from Vellore.

Two years ago, people entering the civic body limits from Vellore through the Kancheepuram-Vellore Road were greeted by a foul smell of sewage that gushed out of manholes and stagnated on the roads. Several persons belonging to the area took ill and cases of fever and diarrhoea were reported. Water supply to the area was suspended for a few days and underground drainage network cleaned by the civic body authorities on a war footing. Regular drinking water supply was then restored and the situation improved.

However, for the past six months, residents of Varadappamudali Street have complained of sewage overflow from manholes and drainage outlet channels in some of the houses.

Raising the issue at the recent municipal council meeting, ward councillor Ponmozhi said that sewage overflow from the mains had become a perennial problem in the ward.

More than half of the sewage pipelines were clogged and had not been desilted properly.

Replacing the existing pipelines with bigger ones alone would help to find a lasting solution to the problem, she said.

Meanwhile, enquiries revealed that existing sewage network was created in 1978 and pipelines laid to a length of 78 km, covering the old town area, with two pumping stations and a 9-million-litre capacity sewage treatment plant at Nathapettai.

In 2005, underground network extension project was taken up to cover extended areas of the town. It was decided to lay underground sewage pipelines to a length of 47.75 km, with two new pumping stations. It was also decided to enhance the treatment capacity of Nathapettai plant from 9 million litres to 14.71 million litres and the project was being implemented, sources said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu