Avadi’s same old story: Many areas submerged after rains due to incomplete underground sewage work

CHENNAI: In Avadi, places that are prone to waterlogging were submerged by the heavy rains on Thursday.

The Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB), one of the main areas in Avadi Corporation, where water stagnation is a regular affair, was in a bad state.

"Around 5,000 families stay in the TNHB, where water stagnation has been prevailing for more than 30 years. Whenever we raise a complaint, corporation authorities carry out some temporary work and drain the water. There must be a permanent solution to the problem here,” said A Tharani Tharan, a resident in TNHB.

Areas like CTH Road, Sekkadu, Gopalapuram and Thendral Nagar are worst-affected during rains. Even the 60-ft road to the left of the Avadi corporation office was inundated.

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"The underground sewage system, which was announced in 2008, has not been completed yet. They had collected Rs 20,000 from each household as sewage clearing charges. There are 48 wards here, so the corporation must have received a huge amount, but the issue is still not resolved," said T Sadagopan, a resident and activist from Pattabiram.

When contacted, a senior corporation official said, "Work on only a minor portion of the drainage remains, it will be completed soon."